Must I?
by Northlane
Summary: “Must I do it again? Must I?” he said as he felt his hand close around the handle of Thunderseal… There is more on the way. Please Review. [Ky x Jam][Sol x Dizzy]
1. Must I?

**Foreword:** I've always wanted to do a GG fic, and this idea has been bouncing around for long enough. It's pretty short, but I just might be able to add to it, if anyone wants me to.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Guilty Gear in any way, shape, or form. If I did, why would I write this fic?

**Must I?**

Flames ravished the once lush fields. They were now desolate and charred. Two figures occupied the blackened ground.

They were polar opposites. Even their clothes were in conflict with the other's garments.

Lightning crackled and danced across the long sword of pure white metal.

His blue-green eyes narrowed as he focused on his opponent. Brushing golden locks of hair from his eyes, the man intently glared at the other man, while shifting his weight back and forth.

The other, darker clad man looked on at his rival with disinterest through his ochre eyes, and felt his own blade dripping flames onto the ground. He adjusted his headband and scratched at his spiky brown hair.

All other existences had ceased to matter.

Sweeping some errant specs of dust from his crimson shirt, the man felt a fiery madness taking control of him.

The blonde haired man, clad in white robes, felt as though something was coming. He could feel power radiating from his opponent. The man whispered, "Just what do you have planned Sol…?"He tightened his grip on his sword and prepared for the onslaught.

The man named Sol leaned forward and slid across the ground, using a stream of flames to help him glide across the uneven ground. As he reached his mark, he slammed his blocky blade into the ground, sending a pillar of flames straight towards his opponent's neck.

With a curt backflip, the robed man had evaded the blaze, but he had no time to rest, for Sol was already upon him in a furious assault of fire.

Sol's blade strikes were easily parried by his opponent, but he was prepared to take down the graceful swordsman. He hopped backwards and chuckled, "You're gettin' better, Boyscout. Heh… Let's bring it all the way to the Third Degree!"

Blazing flames wrapped around Sol and seemed to make him flash red for a moment. As the flares cleared, Sol stood before the robed knight with a crimson aura enveloping him.

Again, he slid across the ground, although the sweltering flames seemed to have a life of their own this time.

Repeating the same evasive maneuver, the blonde haired man backflipped away from Sol, but he didn't jump far enough…

Sol continued on his path and started a short uppercut, meant to knock the wind from his enemy. This strike missed, and the next, straight punch to the jaw, brought forward a torrent of fire.

The robed man ducked under the strike and gripped Sol's wrist, even though it burned his hands to do so. He thrust his long sword towards his opponent's heart, in the hopes of ending the fight.

It was not meant to be, so it did not happen.

The fiery man used his left hand to encase the blade in his iron grip. Sol smirked as he said, "Nice try, Boy Scout. What're you tryin' to do? Kill me?"

"Stop playing around Sol! I _know_ you're just toying with me!" the white clad figure shot back with anger clearly showing in his voice. "If I have to, I _will _kill you in the name of God!"

Sol laughed and threw him back a few feet, "You don't have the balls!" He lifted his bleeding hand and cast the blood from it. Life, in the form of red liquid, splattered across the ground, leaving a thin trail of itself spread across the charred ground.

Power surged through Sol's body again, and he sent a fountain of fire towards his nemesis, through slamming his blade deep into the earth.

Said nemesis hopped over the blaze and sped through the air towards his foe.

Fires gathered and swirled around Sol as he grinned, "Stupid move, Kid…" He crouched down and felt the flames surging up. He announced his attack as it headed towards the falling man, "_Napalm DEATH!_" Sol flicked his knee out as the flames behind him helped to propel him towards his enemy.

The plummeting man could feel, and see Sol enveloped in the raging inferno. He twisted to the side once and moved out of the way of the attack.

Lightning crackled and swirled around his white blade and completely encased it with a forceful charge. He quickly thrust his sword forward.

The rising force of the sword pierced through Sol's body, yet his flames were too intense, and as a result, they ravished the man's body.

Both landed with a resounding thud, and Sol coughed, yet laughed at the same time, "Heh… Ironic, ain't it? Taken out by a mere kid… Gah… Whatever… If I'm gonna die, then I'm gonna die." He pulled out his opponent's sword and cast it to the ground.

Sol smirked as blood dripped from his lips, and his eyes closed.

The man's once white robes were smoldering and cast aside. He stood there near Sol with only a pair of solid white pants covering him. "I've killed him… I've finally killed my last enemy…"

Dropping to his knees from exhaustion, he continued, "But… Have I… also killed my only friend?"

He fell completely prostrate on the ground and darkness clamped its cold fingers over his throat.

X—X—X—X—X

"Ky? _Ky!_ Wake up!" cried out a soothing voice. Her soft hands shook the blonde haired man until he opened his eyelids.

Ky woke up, drenched in sweat, and frantically pulled away from the woman.

She regarded him curiously, with her long brown hair draped over her back as she pulled herself tightly to him in the bed.

"M-Miss Kuradoberi? What are you doing?" Ky asked as he blushed and tried to pull away.

Jam punched him on the shoulder and folded her arms, "It must have been one hell of a nightmare for you to forget about us!"

Ky shook his head and rubbed sleep from his eyes. He glanced at the glittering band of gold that encircled his left ring-finger.

The woman winked at him, "Either that, or I just completely wore you out last night."

The leader of the Holy Knights' eyes widened, and he faltered, "J-Jam! That comment was… not called for."

She shrugged and resumed her tight hold of the man, "It doesn't matter, does it? It's not like we have any neighbors that could possibly hear us. And besides, a husband and wife should be allowed to do anything they please behind closed doors!"

Ky smiled and kissed her forehead, then slipped out of their bed. He hopped into a pair of comfortable jeans, and a plain, black shirt. He shuffled to the kitchen, and filled his favorite tea cup with some tea that had been brewed but minutes ago.

Jam followed him into the kitchen, wearing only a light robe, and she smiled while saying, "I figured you might want some tea when you woke up, so I went ahead and made some for you."

The blonde haired man took her hand and kissed it, "Thank you, Jam. Thank you for the consideration."

The woman chuckled and rolled her eyes, "_Such _a gentleman."

Ky's mouth turned upwards gently and he replied, "But of course. We may be married now, but that, in no way, means that I can quit being courteous. Women like you _deserve _to be treated well."

Her long, brown hair shone brightly in the morning sun, and she stepped towards him to hug her husband. She wrapped her arms around Ky, but before he could return the affection, a fierce beating on the door shattered the moment, as though it were merely made of glass.

Ky trudged to the door with both his tea in his hands, and Jam on his arm. The blonde man opened the door and glanced at the man in front of him with a ripped up piece of cloth covering his face.

The shrouded figure threw his hood off, and narrowed his ochre eyes. "Finally nailed a woman, I see."

Ky's breath caught in his throat, and he breathed, "It… It _can't_ be… I already _killed_…"

X—X—X—X—X

A long shadow was cast into the hall of the Kiske household. A familiar voice rang out through the room, "Livin' in style, eh? Heh," the man touched a cup hanging on the wall, "You even have your fruity tea cup collection hanging up…"

The sun shot a beam of light over the familiar face of Sol Badguy, and Ky gasped, once more, as though the sun only reconfirmed his fears.

"What're you lookin' at? You think I'd let a kid like you take me out? Pfft, you're more of a dumb ass then I thought." Sol put his sword, Fireseal over his right shoulder and grinned sardonically.

Ky tightened his grip around Jam's waist and he set his cup of tea on a low coffee table. "You're sinful presence is not welcome in this house, Sol. You're supposed to be dead. Why are you here?" he asked in voice of mixed emotions.

Jam winced in pain as Ky's grip around her waist tightened to a painful level, and she held onto him closely. 'Why is he so angry? I know this man… Sol, I think it was… What went on between these two? Ky has never done anything to hurt me. He's always calm and in control. How can one glance at this guy make him fly off the handle this way?'

Jam felt sadness tear at her heart with its sharp talons.

"We got shit to finish, Boy Scout." Sol said as he cracked his knuckles. "One more round. Heaven or hell… Let's rock…"

Ky felt his anger surge in his body. There was no rational explanation for _why _it happened, but just seeing Sol, the man that had plagued him so much, drove Ky insane. The Leader of the Holy Knights snapped back to reality after hearing a slight whimper come from his wife. Immediately, he relaxed his grip on her, and glared at Sol.

'This anger… It has made me hurt the one that I love most… It may have been trifling to her, but to me… I _never _want to hurt her, and I _promised _that I would never do it. Maybe… Maybe if I can defeat Sol, I can _also _defeat my anger… Maybe I can finally live in peace…'

Jam seized hold of Ky's hand with her own, and there was a profound fear deep set within her eyes. She hugged him tightly and whispered, "Please don't go… If you go… I'm not sure if you'll come back… I… I don't want you to die!" Her tears soaked into his plain black shirt.

Ky walked towards a dresser with her to his arm, and changed into his customary robes that indicated him as a Holy Knight. He kissed Jam on the lips and whispered, "I _will_ come back…" Ky pulled his sword from a rack, and felt the lightning charged blade warm to his touch.

Jam pulled the blade from his grasp, "Not until you promise… Promise me that you'll come back…"

The Leader of the Sacred Order of Holy Knights nodded, and held up his left hand, "As long as I have this ring, and I have you, I'll come back."

Jam held out the hilt of the Thunderseal, so that Ky could take hold of his sword once again.

Sol's gruff voice called out from the hallway, "You and your woman finished bitchin' about God knows what? How damn long do I have to wait for your lazy ass? You comin' or what, Boy Scout?" Sol tightened his headband, and cracked his neck.

Ky nodded as he let his fingers slip from Jam's grasp. 'I'll be okay… I… I don't fight for justice alone… I fight for my love… and for _all_ people… but still…'

"Must I do it _again? Must I?_" he said as he felt his hand close around the handle of Thunderseal…

**Author's Notes:** I DID SOME REVISING! I changed Ky's character a little bit.I hope you people like this. I dedicated three hours to this, so if it's kinda shoddy, that's the reason. I hope I managed to capture the essences of the characters. By the way, Jam is definitely Out of Character, but hey, marriage will probably change her. Like I said before, if the people so choose, I just might continue this into something bigger.


	2. Ballad of Blades

**Foreword: **Okay, I've decided to write a follow up chapter. Who knows, this could end up being a pretty lengthy piece if people want me to write more.

**A Special Thanks to:** Taromaru – Thank you for reading and reviewing my story. This chapter is dedicated to you, pal.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Guilty Gear, its characters or the music (YET!)… Just you wait. I will have them…

* * *

The winds were dormant. There was nothing to disturb the silence that reigned in the air. Deep within Paris' decrepit and abandoned cathedral, a glass chandelier hesitantly swayed high above the floor. It was as though its next swing would also be its last.

The grating screech of the rusty chains that held the chandelier to the ceiling made Ky flinched visibly each time the discordant noise rang throughout the cathedral. He shook his head and eyed Sol warily.

Sol rose an eyebrow and grinned defiantly, "We gonna start, or are you too afraid to fight in some run-down church? It ain't like God's watching you, Kid." His sword was arrogantly stabbed into the ground before him.

"How dare you desecrate the Lord's house? He has been merciful to all of us, yet you turn your back on Him!" Ky asked, with barbs blatantly aimed at his adversary.

The man in crimson shrugged and ripped his sword out from the ground, "So… We gonna bitch at each other all day, or are we gonna go at it?"

His white robes hung loosely at his sides, for the wind was completely silent. Ky made the sign of the cross, and readied his sword for combat.

Charging at the other, the two men had now become beasts. They could think of nothing but defeating their enemy. Steel clashed with steel, and the sparks flew.

Ky flipped deftly into the air in an attempt to bring his sword down upon Sol's head, although the man in red was already gone.

Ducking and sliding forward, Sol reached up, and grabbed the Holy Knight's ankle. With a swift yet rough yank, he smashed the young man into the organ, effectively destroying the instrument.

A few harsh notes pierced the air as the shattered organ's life ended. Pipes fell as Ky dislodged himself from the wrecked music machine.

"You're gettin' sloppy, Kid," Sol announced with an arrogant grin spread across his face.

Ky flung a few pipes from the organ in the general vicinity of Sol as he chopped them into bits. With two arcing slashes, the blonde man sent electricity flowing into the metallic pieces.

The diced organ pipes floated near their target, and sent electricity through each other, engulfed Sol in a torrent of lightning. After a short time, the wave of pulsating energy died down, dropping melted bits of pipe to the ground.

A dazed Sol shook his head and rubbed his eyes, then examined himself. "Thanks a lot, Boy Scout." He fingered the singed edges of his clothing and frowned, "Now I gotta find new clothes that I actually _like_." He stabbed his sword back into the ground and smoothed out his appearance.

"Stop _MOCKING ME!_" Ky screamed as he thundered towards his nemesis, brandishing his blade wildly.

The man in red looked up at him with a disinterested look, and sidestepped his attack. "Whoa, that was a close one. Gettin' a little feisty, aren't you, little buddy?"

Spinning around swiftly, the tip of his blade slashed right under Sol's nose, though he didn't even flinch in the least. "_Why _do you always do this? Fight me _seriously!_"

"Heh, you ain't worth the time _or _the effort, Kid," Sol said with an impudent grin plastered upon his face.

With a feral growl of rage and frustration, Ky tackled Sol, smashing him into the marble altar in the front of the cathedral. The resounding crack of the large American's spine connecting with a slab of heavy marble sang its sickening song loud and proud.

"After all these years, you still don't know how to do some real damage, do you, Boy Scout?" Sol chuckled, as he casually closed his hand around Ky's neck. He nonchalantly began to pound Ky's skull into the cool marble.

Droplets of blood splattered onto the altar, marring its pristine beauty. Of all the things within the ruined cathedral, the altar was the only one that had not collected any dust.

Using the butt of his sword, Ky punched his assailant in the ribs, thus freeing himself from the clutches of his enemy. He retreated a few steps, and whipped himself into a frenzy.

Ky wildly slashed at Sol, who deflected every single stroke. Raising his sword high above his head, the young knight prepared to rain down upon Sol with a savage stroke.

Seeing his opportunity, Sol shouted out, "Don't push your luck! I'm tired of this." Feeling the raging flames gather at the ends of his finger tips, he clenched his hand into a fist, and then struck Ky in the sternum.

Blazing tongues of fire licked their way across the knight garbed in white, instantly burning away his outer coat. The raw power of Sol's blow sent Ky arcing through the air, finally slamming to the ground, coming to rest under a pile of rubble.

"Looks like you ain't got any tricks up your sleeve this time, eh?" Sol said with a smirk resting upon his face.

Pushing through the rubble, Ky painfully crawled to his feet, using his long, dazzling blade as a support. "I… I will defeat you, Sol… We're… destined to continue fighting… one another… If I don't… end it now… I can't live in peace…"

Raising his middle finger, Sol chuckled, "So dramatic, aren't you? You know we ain't destined to do nothin'. You're fightin' me because you're having as much of a hell of a time as I am."

Ky merely brandished his sword and returned with a simple, "You may be right… But still… I cannot live in peace as long we continue fighting. I can't guarantee anybody's safety… I can't guarantee Jam's safety…"

"Will you quit thinking about that Chinese psycho for like ten seconds and fight me?" Sol growled, as irritation was bordering his bored state.

Ky, making sure that he was far enough away to be out of range, began saying a quick prayer to God. "My Lord… Please allow me to defeat my enemies, so that I may preserve what little peace is left on this Earth."

THWACK!

Ky rubbed his head and glanced down, "What the hell…? A rock?"

"Didn't I already tell you to quit stalling? Let's get _on _with it!" Sol called out, an impudent grin plastered across his face as he gripped another rock in his left hand.

"You told me to stop thinking about Jam, not stalling. A_ real_ swordsman doesn't need to defer to such crude weapons, Sol," Ky replied with a mock tone of scolding. He stood back up and prepared to continue their duel.

"Blah, blah, blah. Why the hell do you think I ain't a real swordsman? You friggin' French people and your stupid concepts of fighting honorably!" The man dressed in crimson charged forward to meet his opponent, as the rock in his left hand was crushed in his fist.

The dazzling, pure, white blade of Thunderseal hammered into Sol's own blade, as Ky braced himself against Sol, resulting in a deadlock.

Fingers of lightning traced innumerable patterns upon Badguy's body, while blazing tongues of fire kissed the Holy Knight.

X—X—X—X—X

"Target confirmed… Understood. Commencing Termination." The large sniper rifle was leveled on Sol's face, and the trigger was deftly pulled, catapulting a bullet towards the fiery fighter.

The bullet strayed from its course slightly, instead smashing into Sol's omnipresent headband.

Both Sol and Ky split apart from each other, and turned to the source of the bullet.

Hidden among the rubble and pews, was a sniper, dressed completely in black. The gleam of the rifle barrel was the only thing that betrayed his position to the two men.

Sol savagely roared at the sniper, and bared his teeth at the man. To Ky, it seemed as though Sol were changing, for his teeth were becoming sharper, and the man's image was phasing between Sol, and some other, more savage, and bestial creature.

'What is happening to Sol?' Ky thought to himself, as he watched as he caught an occasional glimpse of the beast within Sol.

The mortal sniper didn't have a chance against the raging flames of Sol. Slashing his blade into the ground, a massive wave of magma annihilated the man.

"We'll… finish this later… Boy Scout…" Sol gasped, as he half ran, half staggered out of the cathedral, clutching his headband to his forehead, as though his life depended on it.

Wiping soot and ash from his face, Ky's golden locks of hair fluttered in the wind that was ushered in by the open door. His blue-green eyes narrowed slightly, and he began his return home.

X—X—X—X—X

Closing the door behind him, the leader of the Sacred Order of Holy Knights let out a massive sigh of relief.

Jam, sensing that somebody was home, ran into the hallway. She took one glance at her husband, and immediately hugged him. "You kept your promise…"

"Jam!" he whined, "Come on… I'm all dirty! Can't you at least wait until I'm cleaned up a bit?"

The brown haired woman reluctantly released her grip over Ky and uttered an apology.

Squeezing her hand, Ky looked straight into her eyes, and said, "You shouldn't have to get dirty too. There's no need for an apology."

She immediately brightened up, and shoved Ky into the bathroom. Turning on the shower, she grinned and winked, "I know what would make you feel better. How about you take a shower while I make you a nice cup of tea, and a meal? You can tell me the details while you eat."

"That is fine, Jam. Thank you for caring…" he replied, "and just incase I haven't said it today, I love you." Ky closed the door, and slipped out of his clothes. He slid under the warm water and allowed the gentle heat to relax his muscles.

The same question was continually bouncing around within his skull, as he reflected upon his fight with Sol, and the presence of the sniper. 'Just what really happened today?'

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Ah yes, I'm still alive. I just finished this at approximately 1:46 A.M. I know I was kinda late with updating this, and it isn't that long of a chapter either, but please bear with me. I have a direction for this now. Go on and hit that little review button down there, if it isn't too much trouble.

**Bonus Quiz: **Whoever guesses the next character to show up gets a cookie!


	3. Benevolence

**Foreword:** Looks like nobody won the cookie…

**A Special Thanks to: **Taromaru, once again, this chapter is dedicated to you. Thank you everyone, for reviewing, and please do so again.

**Disclaimer: **… I make my money from my allowance. Do you honestly expect me to be able to buy the rights to this series?

* * *

"Mr. Sol! You're hurt!"

Sol staggered into the small room, and immediately started opening drawers. "This is nothin'… "

A young woman stood at his door and called to him, "But… But, you're bleeding… and you have a bunch of cuts. Let me help you." She anxiously combed her navy blue hair with her fingers as she waited for the man's answer.

Sighing, he rounded his ochre eyes upon the girl, "Later." He shut the door in her face, and, with the small set of tools he had retrieved, set upon his headband. "Damn thing… I can't lose control now… Too much attention…"

"Mr. Sol…" the girl said, as she had her head rested on the sturdy wooden door, parting her deep blue hair.

"I said _later_!" the voice called back. "Something happened to a very important thing of mine, and I need to fix it, so I promise, _later_."

She took a few steps backwards, and spoke as she gingerly stepped down the stairs, "O-Oh… I'm sorry to hear that… I'll be in the forest, if you need me. You know where I usually go, right?" Dizzy paused, waiting for an answer, but, after receiving none, went down the stairs, and into the forest.

"Sorry, kid, but I don't wanna hurt you… If this thing shorts out…" Sol continued with tinkering on his headband.

X—X—X—X—X

Ky was completely clean, and refreshed. He calmly sipped at his tea, while Jam continually doted upon him. Ky had given up on stopping her, because she'd simply flash him a smile, and continue.

Ky's wife finally quit her activities, and took the time to sit with him. "I'm glad to see you okay, Ky… I wasn't sure if you were coming back or not…"

Raising his hand, a golden glimmer softly shone in the light of the room. "It's as I have said, Jam. As long as I still have this ring, and you to return to, I will _always_ come back."

Jam placed her own hand over his, and lightly squeezed it, "And that's part of the reason I love you."

Ky sipped his tea and idly said, "I wonder how Sol's doing… He was kind of staggering when I saw him last."

Jam's eyes seemed to flicker with a sort of sadness for a brief moment, but she finally spoke. "Ky… Why are you so worried about him? Aren't you two enemies?"

"You know… sometimes I'm not even sure of that answer… I guess it seems like we're always at odds… but we only _really_ fight when there's no bigger threat to take care of…"

Intently listening, Jam gently stroked his hand. "I see… You've never really told me why you two are always fighting…"

"… Well… It started when we were in the Knights together. I trusted him… In fact, he was my best friend. He… stole a powerful artifact from the Order… His sword, Fireseal, is that treasure." Ky kept silent for a while, as if he was composing his thoughts.

Jam sighed, 'It's just like men to fight over something so pointless…' She continued stroking his hand and quietly asked, "Is… that all? All of this fighting over a sword?"

"Well… Now that I've thought about it… I think the real reason is that he does everything the exact opposite that I would… It's just that… he doesn't really live by a certain code… he does what he wants, whereas I do what is for the best of others." Nodding, Ky spoke once again, "Yes… that must be the real reason."

Jam grinned and giggled, "That makes a little more sense… I couldn't believe that somebody would fight over a stupid sword for so long."

"I think that fighting with him is stupid too… except that I only feel that way when he's not near… As soon as I see Sol, I'm ready for a fight, ready for action." He sipped his tea again and shook his head, "Enough with all this. I'd rather not dwell upon Sol right now."

Both of them stood up, and Jam tried to go into the kitchen to clean up, but Ky gently, but firmly, held onto her hand.

"Ky, I gotta go clean up," she complained, "You know that the dishes and stuff need to be cleaned."

Placing his left arm around her waist, he readjusted his right arm and interlocked his fingers with her own. "We haven't been dancing in a while, have we?"

"No," she replied as she relaxed into her position and followed with the dance, "We haven't done this in a long while."

Ky playfully pouted at her, "It's because you're always so busy."

"I know… I'm sorry, alright?" she said, as her eyes dejectedly watched the floor.

Kissing her forehead, he raised her eyes to his own, "I know how important the restaurant is to you, Jam. I was just playing around… I _am _capable of it, you know." A rare grin split out on his face.

She purposely stepped on his foot while they danced, causing him to wince. "I _know _that, Ky… but still… It wouldn't hurt to take a few days off every week… would it?"

Making sure to keep his feet out of Jam's way, the Knight shrugged and said, "The more time I can spend with my loving wife, the better. You _know _I enjoy spending time with you, Jam. Ultimately, the decision is yours though."

Jam rolled her eyes and sighed, "When you look at me like that it's not. You look like a puppy that's been kicked a few too many times, and had its food taken away. I just can't resist it… And hey! You forgot to include the adjective 'beautiful' to my description!"

He broke away for a moment and bowed deeply to Jam, "My deepest apologies, my loving _and _beautiful wife."

She shook her head with a smile showing between her chuckling, "I doubt that I could refuse your apologies even if I wanted to, and God knows I don't."

Ky resumed his position, and the two remained dancing for a lengthy period of time.

X—X—X—X—X

"Hey… I'm ready for you to patch me up…" Sol sat down next to Dizzy with nothing but a pair of pants on. Blood glistened on his back, and also on his chest as it slid down in beads.

Dizzy hopped up from where she had been serenely sitting, allowing the beauty of the forest to entrance her. "Mr. Sol… These wounds are much worse than you let on! You should have seen me right away."

Sighing, Sol simply puffed at his cigarette and muttered, "Gah… I ain't a weakling. I can handle a few cuts."

The young woman hurriedly cleaned his cuts out and patched the smaller ones up. "Even strong people like you can get infections or bleed to death, Mr. Sol." She gently dabbed at a larger wound that Ky had inflicted upon him, and felt warmth radiate from her hands. 'Wh… What is this? Is it… my power? Not here! Please! Not here!'

Dizzy's eyes widened in terror as she expected her powers to flare up, but instead, the warm feeling began to slowly manifest itself by closing up the slash across Sol's body. 'Wh… What just happened! My powers… they didn't hurt anybody?'

Exhaling a large cloud of smoke, Sol looked back, "What you doing back there? What'd you do to my cuts?"

"I-I don't know! They just sorta… healed," Dizzy replied with astonishment evidently showing in her voice.

Sol grunted in disinterest and continued focusing on his cigarette. 'Why is she still touching me? Gah, women these days…'

Dizzy gently prodded a massive scar on his back, and said, "I met you when this happened… I can't believe you even survived what caused this, whatever that may have been. It goes completely through you… right?"

The gruff man simply flicked his cigarette away and stood up, "Yeah. I'm a little tougher than you give me credit for, Dizzy."

Her face lit up, and shone with a brilliant radiance, as a beautiful smile graced her lips. "You know, Mr. Sol… That's the first time you've ever called me by my name. Thank you."

"Yeah… Whatever." Sol walked away with his fresh bandages covering his once bare chest. Looking over his shoulder, Sol saw Dizzy sit down again, with a serene expression on her face, and the same radiant smile across her lips. He thought to himself, 'I can't go and get attached to anything… Sorry, Dizzy, but that includes you… You'll just hold me down and be in big danger… maybe another time… Once I have my revenge against That Man.'

He walked a little bit further away, but his thoughts still dwelled upon Dizzy, 'She's definitely hot, but… Ugh, somethin' about her just makes me feel good… You know what? Screw this, I ain't gettin' anywhere by thinkin' about all this junk.'

Sol turned around and called to the blue haired lass, "Dizzy, wake me up when dinner's ready."

She quickly snapped out of her trancelike state, and nodded, "I will, Mr. Sol…"

Scratching at his headband, Sol walked away, only to return merely seconds later, "Hey! Sol's fine. You don't have to put 'Mister' in front of it."

Dizzy watched as he sauntered away. 'He may act tough but, deep down, I think he's a kind person. At least I can talk with him… We're even getting friendly with each other!' A faint blush crept up her face, as she allowed the sounds, scenery and gentle breeze place her into an ethereal daydream.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And there you have it. I know it was short, but I was kind of rushed. My laptop is being collected by my school, so I most likely won't post until after July 20th. Sorry people, if anybody cares. Please hit the review button for me. Thank you. 


	4. Reminiscence

**Foreword: **This chapter will center mostly around Dizzy and Sol, but there will be some other people involved. Note that Dizzy thinks that Sol is a human at this point.

**A Special Thanks To: **Obviously, this is dedicated to Taromaru, my only frequent reviewer.

**Disclaimer: **I own no rights to Guilty Gear, but I wish I did, because much would happen storyline-wise.

* * *

She sat silently, as the pure wind of the forest slowly ran its airy fingers through her hair. Dizzy's eyes continually flitted back and forth from the retreating Sol, and nature.

'He… I just kind of found him last year… What really happened to him? He had a massive hole in his chest. It almost looked like he had been stabbed completely through. He's lucky he made it through that… I never knew just how tough humans were…' She stroked the head of a curious squirrel and smiled down at him.

'Mr. -err… Sol… After I left the Jellyfish Pirates, I was alone, but it was better than hurting anybody with my powers. I can still remember May's face… No! Don't start, Dizzy…' A few sad tears dripped from her eyes, as she recalled leaving her friends of the Jellyfish Pirates. 'I'm not sure where Testament went… I remember him saying something about 'finding divine justice', whatever that is… He was the one that used to stay with me. Well, he _was _kind of scary, with that raven, and his dress… or coat, as he called it.'

The squirrel gently rested its head on Dizzy's lap, while she continued to play with it, and reflect on her life. 'Sol may be rude and blunt sometimes, but he, at least, talks to me. Testament usually just _watched _me from a distance… Again, that was kind of creepy. I don't know… Sol just… He makes me feel sort of… oh I feel so silly saying this, but he makes me feel safe.'

Dizzy scratched gently behind the furry creature's ear, and sighed, "Oh, I'm just being silly again… I should ask somebody about what I'm starting to feel… It confuses me." She continued to gently caress the animal, lulling it into a serene slumber.

X—X—X—X—X

Cerulean eyes tinged with green poured over the computer screen carefully, yet quickly, absorbing the information on each and every line. He swiftly typed in a few words and waited for a few moments as the computer did its thing.

"I see… This was poorly encrypted… It was too simple. The Assassin's Guild would never have slipped up over something like this… not unless…" Ky's fingers were blazing over the keyboard, throwing in word after word. Another moment passed, and the knight nodded, reading the new message in a soft voice. "Twenty-One… Theater… Dusk…"

Ky quickly put on his coat, and grabbed his sword. "I'm glad I figured this one out… It _was _kind of odd that I was to _personally _decrypt this message."

The leader of the Sacred Order of Holy Knights quickly found Jam, "I am sorry, but I must leave for a short time. Is that alright with you, Jam?"

The woman turned and planted a kiss on his lips, "It's fine by me. Will you be back tonight? You _do _know what tonight is, right?"

"The first time we _actually_ met… I remember it perfectly, Jam. It was at a 'Bureau Ball.' The very first party you catered, if I'm not mistaken, and also when your restaurant began to take off," Ky said, as he recalled one of his most fond memories.

She giggled and poked his forehead, "It took you _two whole_ hours to work up the courage to ask me to dance with you."

He blushed in embarrassment and nodded, "I remember… although I also remember that I was slightly intoxicated. If I were completely sober, I would have probably stayed in the corner of the room, looking gloomy… like usual." He began to lightly chuckle at his own demeanor.

"Well, thank goodness for liquor! Maybe you should drink a little more often, then. I remember you standing in the corner, propped against the wall. Plenty of girls wanted to ask you to dance, as a matter of fact, that's all most of them talked about." Jam patted his back and put an arm around him. "It really took me a second to realize who you were though. When I handed you a glass of wine, I had to take a _real _hard look at your face, because I was so used to seeing you in your robes…" She laughed lightly and said, "You looked really handsome in that suit, you know."

With a grimace, Ky replied, "Ugh, I hate dressing up in those uncomfortable, starchy clothes… They make my neck itch. As to the drinking, you _know _I don't like to drink much… I prefer to have complete control of my actions. I was also told that my family has had a history of Alcoholism." Ky walked with her to the door and readjusted his dark shirt under the drab trench coat slung across his body.

He turned around in the open door, and she looked into his eyes and winked, "I'll see you tonight?"

He nodded and returned the wink, "I'll see you tonight." Ky's jeans swooshed as they collided into each other with each step into the quickly darkening day.

X—X—X—X—X

Dizzy quietly opened Sol's door, making only the smallest noise possible. The loudest sound she made was her breathing, which was softer than a normal person's.

Sol stood right in his door frame as she opened the door, "Dinner?"

She immediately cried out in surprise, although, this two, was barely at a normal speaking volume.

With a feral grin, Sol spoke out to the startled girl, "What? Am I that scary?"

Composing herself, the navy haired Gear said, "N-No, Mr. Sol -err, Sol. You just startled me… that's all. Please excuse me… I didn't mean to scream."

He rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever you say, Diz."

The young woman looked up at him with curiosity clearly showing in her eyes, "Diz?"

"Uh… It's just a shortened form of your name. Ya know, just to make it easier to say your name."

"Oh, I get it now," she said, as the reason for him calling her that was handed to her directly from his mouth.

Inside of Sol, a battle was being fought between Sol and his emotions.

'Diz sounds more like a _petname _rather than just a convenient thing to call her.'

'It's for convenience! I already friggin' told you! I ain't gonna get attached to anybody. I can't afford it, _especially_ not a woman.'

'You know you secretly like it when she smiles like that, or laughs at something… the way she softy mumbles in her sleep…'

'Will you shut the hell up! Jesus, you're like that damn Boy Scout. Never know when to quit!'

'But you _do _notice that stuff, don't you? I know you do.'

'It's only because I'm an astute person… and the only reason I know she mumbles is because I have really sharp ears!'

"Sol? Didn't you hear me? Your dinner is going to get cold." Dizzy lightly touched her fingers to his shoulder.

Shaking his head, Sol snapped out of his inter-conscious debates, and quickly followed Dizzy out into the kitchen of the small little cottage they shared.

The two sat down, and Sol thought to himself, 'I've been here for over a year… I usually don't stay in the same place for more than a month…' He continued dwelling on his thoughts as he began eating his food.

Brushing her hair out of her eyes, Dizzy asked, "Sol… Why… Why do you stay with me?"

Staring hard into his food, the long haired man remained pensive for a moment, before answering. "I guess… Well, somebody like you doesn't deserve to be alone all the time. I kinda… Well, I just figured that I could keep you company or something. I just think that it's good to have some company."

The girl shook her head, "I'm sorry for making you answer that… I was just being silly, I guess… You're right though… I feel better when I have company around me."

Sol Badguy raised an eyebrow, and half laughed, "I try." After devouring more of his meal, he said, "Weren't you with those… uh… Somethin' Pirates?"

She smiled sadly and nodded to Sol, "Yes, I _was_, but now I live here."

"Well, why'd you leave them? Last time I saw that hat flaunting moron, they were all worried about you over something or other."

"I… I didn't want to cause them any more trouble… and… my powers… Sometimes, I just can't control my powers, and they do a lot of damage. I didn't want to hurt my friends… Another reason, now that I think about it, is that I used to get airsick on the Mayship."

He chuckled, "So this's like a vacation for you?" He finished his meal and set his plate up near the sink.

The girl joined in his laughter, although hers seemed almost musical to Sol's ears, "Not quite… I don't think I plan on going back with the Jellyfish Pirates… I kind of like staying here with you, Sol."

Sol simply made an ambiguous noise from his throat, and simply said, "Uh… yeah. It's better than being alone."

"If you don't mind… Um… Most people don't usually think about others being lonely. I was sort of wondering… Um, why would you think about something like that?"

"Orphan," he said as he lit up a cigarette. Taking a quick draft, he blew smoke out towards the window, and continued. "I was an orphan."

Everything clicked for Dizzy as she realized how similar the two were. 'He was an orphan… just like me…'

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Yes, I know. There wasn't much action, but that'll change sometime soon. I'm trying to keep the characters _in _character, and I'm trying to keep this story interesting at the very least. I do have a plan on what'll happen next, and I hope it's original. Please review my story, I'm begging you. 

**Bonus:** Whoever guesses the next character to show up gets a standing ovation. _HE _has ties to the Assassin's Guild. Look at the three words Ky says, and you'll figure it out.


	5. Perilous Predictions

**Foreword: **Nobody guessed this one either, but then again, nobody even reviewed.

**A Special Thanks To: **Taromaru, obviously, and Bryan. Thanks, both of you. I've dedicated this to both of you.

**Disclaimer: **I own no rights to Guilty Gear, but I can dream, can't I?

* * *

Ky silently sat down in the 21st chair, in the 21st row from the stage in Paris' finest theater. Feeling under-dressed, Ky tried his best to seem inconspicuous, and to sink into the shadows. 

The faint smell of smoke, and expensive tobacco filtered into the knight's nostrils, and he looked behind him, only to see shadows. He scanned the area behind him one last time before turning to face forward.

A bearded man spoke out, startling the blonde swordsman, "I see you understood the message."

"Obviously. It was almost too easy. Your real message was simply like a haiku poem. I had to find the fifth word in the first paragraph, seventh word in the second paragraph, and finally the fifth word in the third paragraph… With all the haiku you do, this was simple to decode." Ky glanced over to his right, where a man calmly smoked a pipe, while he stroked his deep brown beard.

"Mm… I never used to be so predictable. I'm glad to see you're here, Officer Kiske." The man's pearly teeth glinted in the dim light as he spoke to Ky.

Remaining cool and business-like, Ky said, "I assume that you still go by the name of Slayer. Am I correct?"

"Yes, I go by Slayer." The shady man polished his monocle with a silken handkerchief that he had produced from his pocket.

Ky rounded his aquamarine eyes on the man, and brushed some hair out of his face. "The reason that I haven't arrested you is that you've helped our agency before, and you've sworn you are not part of the Assassin's Guild any more."

"That is correct," Slayer answered as he reclined in his chair, and blew a swirling ring of smoke into the air.

"Then why," Ky continued, as he looked grimly at Slayer, "do I continually receive reports about people being found, with absolutely no blood in their systems."

He took a steady and long breath as he said, "That is the precise reason that I am here tonight. I have information on what has been happening with these incidents." Slayer tugged at his tie, readjusting it, as he waited for Ky to say something.

The blonde knight reluctantly replied, "I'm listening… but if you have been draining people, you will be arrested on the spot."

The vampire bowed his head and replied, "As you wish, but that won't be necessary. You can't honestly think that I'm the only one of my kind around here."

"I prefer not to think about that sort of thing." Ky folded his arms and stared into his lap uncomfortably.

"But you must… Your survival depends upon it. You must be conscious of the facts if you wish to be able to defend your wife. You _are _still married, am I correct? And she _is _the most important person in your life. Again, am I correct?" The vampire stared directly back into Ky's eyes, imposing the severity of his message into Ky's heart.

He stared back and slowly nodded, "I am. What does my marriage have to do with this matter?"

"Hit hard, fast, and where it hurts most, Officer Kiske. That's the law of the jungle. Many night walkers live by this code. I do not know what you've done, but the word in the streets is that a group of my kind is after you, and your friend, Sol." Slayer's grave words rang in Ky's ears like the grave church bells that herald a funeral.

"Thank you for this warning, Slayer. Now if you'll excuse me, I must return home." Ky promptly stood up and turned to leave the dim theater, with his pace increased to nearly a jog.

Watching the retreating figure, Slayer solemnly called out to him, "You had better hurry, Officer. You never know what sort of thing could happen to a fragile woman such as your wife… I'm sure there are many of my kind that would wish to taste her blood. They pride themselves on draining beautiful people. I'm sure you can defend her adequately, but I would scamper along, my boy. You never know when they'll strike."

The echoing voice of the vampire rang in Ky's ears as he quickened his pace towards his home.

X—X—X—X—X

Darkening skies gently caressed the face of Sol Badguy, as his leaden eyelids struggled to keep open. The once long cigarette had been reduced to a butt, and ashes gently floated on the zephyr sliding through the forest. The cigarette slipped from his lips, landing directly on the bare skin of his muscular arm.

He slowly opened his eyes and brushed the cancerous stick from his arm, and pushed off the ashes resting on his arm. He looked down, and examined the curled up figure near to him. 'The hell? I _know _you weren't there when I dozed off, Diz.'

A rare smile graced his lips, as he was positive that nobody else could see him. He gently lifted Dizzy into his arms, and carried her back into their small cottage. 'She's light… I didn't expect for somebody so strong to be _this_ light.'

As he continued walking, his callous fingers gently stroked her skin, and though he tried to stop, Sol found that he couldn't. 'Her skin's just… it's so soft. Gah, damn it, Sol. We went over this before.'

He quickly shook his head and set the girl down on her own bed, then began to retreat from the room.

Dizzy mumbled unintelligibly and rolled over on her side, "Ahh… err… Sol… hmm…"

The bandaged man turned and looked at Dizzy, and allowed his eyes to take in the sight of her beauty, but eventually turned back to the door.

Again, the young woman began muttering in her sleep, as her face contorted into a frightened mask. "I don't… Somebody stay with me… I don't want to be alone…"

Sol sighed and scratched his scalp, "God, you're almost getting as soft as the Boy Scout…" He walked over to her bed and patted her shoulder as reassuringly as he possibly could.

Dizzy's face and whole body relaxed again as she fell into a more fitful sleep, although she was still mumbling unintelligibly at random intervals.

Sol slipped his hand under his ever-present headband and felt the burning hot symbol emblazoned in his forehead, cooling it with his hand. "This symbol… She must have one as well… Wonder if hers hurts as much as mine does."

X—X—X—X—X

Ky flung open his door and immediately hugged Jam, despite the fact that she was not even facing him. "Jam… I think I might have forgotten to say that I love you today… I'm sorry."

The woman pressed herself against him, melting even more into the hug, "You've already told me, but it doesn't hurt to be told again."

"Jam, I want you to listen carefully to me…" Ky's voice was solemn and grave. He tightened his grip on her, holding her more securely to his own body.

She could easily tell that something was wrong. Ky _never _acted like this, unless there was something seriously wrong. "Ky… What… What's going on?"

He turned her around, and looked deep into her brown eyes. "Jam… I was informed today, that both of our lives are in danger. I'm not sure why, but that's what I was told. I wanted to tell you that… I want you to be on your guard at all times, even when it's just you and me…"

Disappointment crept into her eyes and she touched his face gently, "But Ky… tonight is special… we… I had plans for us tonight."

"I know, Jam," he said, as he trapped her hand under his own, "but I only said to be on guard. I didn't say that we couldn't do anything _special_ tonight."

"Well good." She winked at him and kissed his cheek, "I have something great planned for tonight, so don't you worry about a thing."

"Then I guess I have to be a good boy and wait, don't I?" Ky flashed a devilish smile, one that was rarely ever employed. Gently, but firmly, he pushed her against the wall.

Her sharp intake of breath slowly evened out to a normal breathing pattern. Jam grinned at him, "Ooh, taking the offensive, are we? I didn't know you did things like this."

Ky smiled back at her, "Only sometimes. I figured I'd shake things up a little bit."

Jam purred up to him, "You _know _I like surprises."

"Well… it _is _nine… that counts as tonight, right?" Ky said as he glanced at the looming grandfather clock. He motioned towards their bedroom with his head and said, "Shall we?"

Jam simply took his hand and the two entered their room, making sure to close the door.

X—X—X—X—X

"Codename: Savage, reporting. Targets confirmed. Affirmative." The man shrouded in black robes turned to his two companions and motioned towards the large manor, "Codename: Vicious, Codename: Callous, we have our orders."

The three simultaneously disappeared, leaving faint wisps of the stench of blood behind them.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Yes, Slayer has shown up! He's one of my favorites. I made up the part about Sol's gear mark thingy burning, so don't try to kill me over that. This was a short chapter, and I'm sorry. The next one will be longer, I promise. Please review. I accept Anonymous reviews, so please, just hit that little review button in the lower, left-hand corner. 


	6. Starlight Skirmish

**Foreword: **Yes, the plot thickens. I would always be aware of what you're reading though… I tend to throw curves a lot.

**A Special Thanks To: **Taromaru, obviously, and Bryan. Once again, dedicated to both of you. Everyone that reviewed, I bow to you. I hope my story will usher in a whole wave of Sol x Dizzy fictions, because that pairing is great.

**Disclaimer: **Who owns what? I think _Guilty Gear owns me_ more than me owning it… I don't mean that I lose, because that's a rare occurrence. This version of 'own' means 'holds ownership of'.

* * *

Ky stopped dead in his tracks, with Jam's hand still clasped within his own. He gently, but firmly squeezed Jam's hand and mouthed the word 'Ready?' to her.

The woman nodded back and tightened her grip on Ky's hand. She smiled to him with a hint of uneasiness tinged on her lips.

He turned and faced her, then kissed her on the forehead, whispering, "When it happens… Never mind, I know you can still fight as well as always." He grinned slyly, something that he rarely did, and said, "If you do as well against them as you do in bed, you'll-"

Ky let out a small yelp as Jam kicked him in the shin. He hissed to her, "Jam! What was-"

She cut him off by whispering forcefully, "_Why _did you have to go into something like _that?_"

"If I remember right, my lovely wife," Ky said, still in a playful mood, "it was _you _who originally brought it up this morning… You said it when I woke up in a daze and-" Ky cut himself off and his eyes gazed straight into Jam's.

She slowly nodded, as she realized what was coming.

Silence embraced the couple with a coy smile, hinting slyly at what would happen in moments to come. The calm before the storm blew in like a gentle zephyr.

Shadows silently danced under the doorframe as the light from the hall was blocked.

Both of them held their breath as they waited for the anticipated strike. Jam was a little frightened by what could lie hidden behind the door. With one hand interlocked with her husband's, Jam allowed her body to relax, so that she could instantly react to any sign of danger.

Timbers creaked as the tension mounted within the room and the suspense built.

A horrid screeching noise ripped through the air as the hinges were completely ripped off of the doorframe. Light flooded into the darkened bedroom as the hall shot darts of radiance amongst the dark chaos.

Three silhouetted figures shot into the room, splitting up, in an attempt to surround the couple.

The shrouded individual closest to Jam laughed maniacally, "Vicious calls the pretty girly's blood! Vicious calls the pretty girly's blood!"

Ky's eyes light up with a maddening fury, as he nodded to Jam. The duo, husband and wife, charged at the figure that labeled himself as 'Vicious' with every intention of clothes-lining him. Their interlocked hands collided with the vampire's chest, sending him tumbling to the carpeted floor.

Ky went to the next one, brandishing his flashing blade, while his wife stomped down hard onto the prostrate being's sternum. His bones were crushed under her foot as she spat, "_Nobody _is going to have my blood. I still need it."

Ky was slashing furiously, fending off blows from both the other vampires. He repelled them both by forming a barrier of flashing lightning between them.

One of the vampires recovered his footing and called out to Ky, "I see that you have some skill… at least more than an average _human_." He seemed to spit this word, as though it held a sour taste in his mouth.

"So the pawn doesn't know the mind of the king. I am not an average human. I am Ky Kiske, Officer of the Postwar Administrations Bureau and the Leader of the Sacred Order of Holy Knights." Ky pulled his sword back preparing for another strike. He leveled his blade and craned his neck to check on Jam.

A blur of red clothing flashed past him and a flashy burst of Chi energy slammed into the single vampire that had remained silent throughout the whole fight.

Jam's powerful legs sent the silent one ricocheting into the wall, right near the bed that she shared with Ky. She slid across the ground and kicked his kneecap inwards, then laid a punch full of Chi energy straight into his gut.

Her hands blurred as she continued to pummel him, with her arms moving at ultra-quick speeds. Hooking her hands behind his head, she pulled down hard, smashing his head into the ground.

Ky slashed towards the vampire still standing, with his blade biting into his foe's shoulder. Pulling his sword back, he gripped the hilt with both hands, and drove the bottom of the handle straight onto the top of his enemy's skull.

The humanoid figure collapsed to the floor, and remained there for countless minutes.

Making sure to keep on his guard, Ky looked over to Jam and said, "Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

She grinned and chuckled at him, "You think I'd get hurt by this bunch of weaklings? They were easier than I expected them to be."

The blonde swordsman simply nodded in agreement and waited for some sort of reaction from the prostrate nightwalkers.

The one that Ky had previously clubbed rose to his feet and called to the other two, "Callous, Vicious, retreat for now! We can always return when conditions are more favorable." With that said, all three of them got to their feet and rapidly stole out of the room, and into the black night.

Ky blinked once or twice and looked over to their bed and trashed bedroom. "I guess we're not going to use _that _bed tonight…"

His wife rolled her eyes and punched him on the shoulder lightly, "How can you still be in this sort of mood? We were just attacked by freaking _vampires_. But then again… I said that nothing would ruin tonight, and I intend to keep it that way. Come on, we're bound to have an empty room in this mansion _somewhere_."

Pushing blonde locks of hair from his eyes, Ky nodded and solemnly said, "While I realize what we're going to be doing, I still intend to keep on my guard, so I hope you don't mind if I bring my sword."

The Chinese woman grinned slyly and touched Thunderseal, "Even if you didn't bring _this _sword, you'd always have a backup on you, heheh." She giggled and jogged down the hall with a massive smirk on her face.

He blushed furiously and stammered at the retreating figure, "J-Jam! That was… That was uncalled for!"

X—X—X—X—X

The sunlight shone in through the open window, heralding morning as it danced its way through the canopy of tree branches.

"S-Sol? Wh-What are you doing in my room?" Dizzy cried out in surprise, as she awoke to the sight of the stern looking man dressed in crimson staring down at her.

For a moment, Sol's mind blanked as he puffed on his cigarette, and his mind fumbled for a reason for just why he _was _in her room. "Uh… You were mumbling in your sleep… You, uh… said somethin' about not wanting to be alone, so I guess I just kinda stayed here, just in case you didn't wanna be alone or somethin'…"

Sol felt something pressed against him… It was something warm and soft. Surges of breaths flowed against his chest, warming up the spots in which they touched his body. Gentle arms wrapped around the chiseled and muscular body of Sol Badguy, while delicate hands planted themselves lightly on his back.

'What the… What is that? What's touching me?' Exhaling the smoke from his mouth into the air, Sol looked downwards, only to be greeted by a splash of long navy hair cascading down gently sloping shoulders. "D-Diz? What're you…?"

The girl looked up at him and sheepishly pulled away, "I'm sorry… I just… I wanted to thank you for keeping me company, I guess. Nobody's ever really done that for me…"

"Uh… Geh, alright." Sol still had a reputation to live up to, and he was still fighting his affection tooth and nail.

Dizzy smiled at him and shrugged, "And you looked like you could have used a hug too."

The cigarette almost dropped from his mouth as it was gaping wide open, "Uh… Me? You're joking, right?"

"Um… No, you looked like you needed a hug," the Half-Gear said as she held onto her other arm. "You were kind of scowling, so I wanted to see you smile."

After the girl sat back down on her bed, the man took a drag on his cigarette and replied, "Sorry to disappoint, Diz, but I don't have much to smile about… not after some of the things I've been through."

Dizzy pondered for a moment, and then spoke tentatively, "But… We're good friends, right?"

"Yeah, I guess we are." Sol blew smoke out the window, so that it wasn't trapped in the room with them.

"Well then," the young woman said with her hands folded in her lap. Her voice was still somewhat shaky, and she said, "Since we're friends… will you do it for _me_?"

"Will you stop pestering me about it if I do?" Sol growled, attempting to hide his true feelings. He was glad that somebody cared enough about him to want to make him smile.

Dizzy played with her blue hair nervously, because she was having trouble reading the expression on Sol's face. "Um… Only if you promise to smile more often."

Sol rolled his eyes and put out his cigarette, "Oh fine! Fine! Whatever…"

The smile that overtook Dizzy's face was so dazzling and beautiful that Sol had absolutely no trouble allowing his _own _smile to shine through.

"God," Sol muttered, "I probably look so retarded…"

Dizzy's smile was still in place, and she chuckled, "No! No! Keep smiling! You look really handsome like that! You should definitely smile a whole lot more, Sol." A blush crept up onto her face as she realized just how handsome Sol looked through her eyes.

The grin on Sol's face faltered for a moment, before it returned in full force, "If you say so, Diz."

* * *

**Author's Notes**: I'm sorry that was short... Okay, yes. The actual pairing of Sol and Dizzy will begin to manifest itself a whole lot more. I know that Ky doesn't usually seem like the type to play around, but come on folks! He's _married! _

**Bonus**: None this time, folks… Unless, for some strange reason, you can guess what is going to happen in the next chapter.


	7. Woodland Bloodbath

**Foreword**: Yep, I finally got off my butt and got back to writing. I am so sorry that this chapter took so damn long to write. I've had others on my back about writing/continuing some of my other works. This sucks severely. I've tried to upload this chapter for THREE DAYS STRAIGHT, and it still wouldn't… I'm sorry everyone. I'm going to do my best on keeping this story updated. 

**A Special Thanks to**: All my reviewers. I'm surprised that it got so many. Obviously Taromaru is still the big person to thank, because of him, I kept this story going.

**Disclaimer**: Nope. Don't own anything but my writing.

* * *

"Gah… I told myself that I wouldn't fall for her… just look at me _now_. Some fix I've gotten myself into, eh?" Sol stood outside and stepped on his cigarette, effectively stamping it out.

He loosed his sword from the ground and examined it very thoroughly, inspecting it for any damage. He wiped away some grime from the blade with his thumb, and then continued to examine the different parts of the blade, making sure that it would stay in top condition for any fight that he may run into.

Dizzy's footsteps began to get louder as she stepped closer and closer to Sol. "U-Um… Sol?"

He looked over at her and shouldered his sword, "Yeah, what?"

Dizzy looked at the ground and tried her best not to stutter, but she still found it hard when she was under the gaze of the crimson-wearing man. "Well… We're sorta… running out of fire wood… so I was just wondering if…"

"Wood? No problem, Diz. I ain't usin' my sword though. Do you have an axe?" Sol lit up another cigarette and waited upon Dizzy's answer.

The girl answered shakily still, because of the way Sol was acting. He was being much more compliant, and she had no idea how to explain the rapid change of attitude. "U-Um, it's leaning against the woodpile…"

The tall man nodded curtly and began the short walk to the woodpile, in search of an axe to use against the trees. He gripped the haft of the tree killer, and gave it a test swing, to get used to the weight.

"Sol? Um… Smoking is really bad for you… Why do you smoke so many cigarettes?" Dizzy stepped closer to Sol once again, and folded her arms as she observed the faint wisps of smoke rising up to the clouds.

He turned around with a shrug and replied, "Ain't like they can do anything to me. Got something to do with the way my body's set up. Well, I'll be back soon enough, Diz. Heh, try not to have too much fun without me."

"O-Oh. I'll try not to." The wind picked up, blowing the girl's navy blue hair around her head.

Chuckling, Sol looked over his shoulder, "That was a joke, Dizzy. I wasn't being serious."

Blushing in embarrassment, Dizzy tried to cover her face. "I'm sorry… I just… I uh… didn't know…"

"It's fine, Diz. You don't need to apologize for anythin'." He placed his hand on Dizzy's head and slowly his lips formed into a smile.

"See? I told you that you could smile…" She grinned back at him as he turned around and began to head into the forest, with both his sword and the axe.

Dizzy waved to his turned form, and went into the small cottage. Filling a glass with water from the tap, she sipped slowly at it.

The wings on her back seemed to come alive as she continued to drink. A dark and shadowy voice called out to her, "A man? What the hell do you need somebody else around for? Look at him! This Sol fellow has already fought with you before!"

A more musical and pleasant voice chimed in, "Oh, shush, Necro. I think it is cute."

Necro manifested himself and jabbed an accusative finger at the other wing, "You shut up, Undine! Nobody asked you, you frosty bitch!"

The entity known as Undine also made herself known, and she shook a fist at the dark, reaper-like figure. "Necro, you're setting a bad example for young Dizzy! Such language… And besides, we should be encouraging her about this, not going _against _her, you shady hack!"

Necro raised his own fist and made preparations to strike Undine, "Why you-"

"STOP!" Dizzy screamed. "Why can't both of you just get along? I… I was perfectly fine when you two aren't acting up! And Undine… What are you talking about? Encouraging me in _what?_"

"Why, with that man, Sol, of course." Undine relaxed and smoothed out her appearance.

Dizzy blushed and sipped at her water, while she stared at the ground. "Wh-What do you mean? I… I don't know what you're talking abou-"

Stroking Dizzy's long, blue hair, Undine whispered to the girl, "It is okay, my child. I can read your innermost thoughts. Do not be ashamed of them. It is natural for things such as these to happen. You are falling in love, my dear."

The girl shook her head and took another drink, "I… I… It just… I can't help it-"

The glass dropped to the floor and shattered, with a resounding crack. A throbbing pain shot through Dizzy's mind as she dropped to her knees among the shattered glass. The girl moaned in pain as she clutched at her head.

X—X—X—X—X

"It looked like the paralysis powder is beginning to take effect. Excellent." A man leaned over to his walkie-talkie and belted out, "All units, move in. Capture the girl… And make sure that _he _doesn't interfere… It may not be possible, but, if you can, capture him as well."

X—X—X—X—X

Sol stood his ground as he felled the mighty tree that formerly stood before him.

Figures that clung to the shadows were enclosing on the man, using all the stealth technology available to them.

Sol's bulging muscles glistened with sweat, and his shirt lie among the foliage of the forest. His sword was stabbed into the ground nearly twenty or thirty feet away from him.

Suddenly, Sol spun around, dodging a bullet aimed at his head. Gripping the axe with both hands, he continued to spin around. The axe-head drank the pouring blood greedily, as it lodged itself into the throat of one of the soldiers.

Sol savagely ripped the axe from the man, bringing the jaw of the unfortunate victim with it. He brought the same weapon down hard onto another soldier's head, completely splitting open his helmet.

Bringing the tree chopper with him, the man rolled away from the soldiers, and seized his own sword, Fireseal. Wielding both weapons, he jumped into the cluster of soldiers, evading the bullets spraying towards him at high velocities.

Whirling the axe around in his left hand, Sol stuck it in the side of a third soldier's neck, and followed up with a splitting slash with Fireseal, which hewed him in two.

"R-Retreat! H-He's a monster!" One of the men had decided upon what they were to do, and all the rest followed suit. As though they were of one body, they all began to run away, attempting to hide from Sol's wrath.

He furiously slashed and gouged the ground with his fiery sword, hewing massive crevices into the land. "Cowards!" Sol shouted as he sent scores of blazing waves to follow the receding figures. Each trail of molten lava overcame at least one soldier, until all but one was dead. Tackling the man to the ground, Sol growled at him, "What the hell did you attack me for? Talk before I burn you to cinders!"

The fear deep within his eyes was evident as he spilled all the information that he knew. "W-We were given orders to distract you, and preferably catch you! Y-You weren't the primary target. Th-That girl you're with was the target!"

"Dizzy!" he snarled, "What did you want _her _for!"

"I-I don't know! P-Please don't kill me! I… I have a wife and son!" Tears were streaming down the man's eyes, behind his SWAT helmet.

"Geh, count your blessings. Quit this job and you'll live. You're just lucky I have more important things to do." Sol let the man go and charged through the forest, trying to get to the cottage as soon as he physically could.

X—X—X—X—X

"Target in stable condition. This mission was a success." One of the soldiers stared at Dizzy as he shouldered his gun.

A blade whizzed through the air and buried itself into his skull, completely shattering the helmet. "Get the hell away from her, you bastards!" Sol leapt through the tree line and landed a few paces away from the soldiers.

Immediately, they all focused their guns on Sol, and fired. Bullets hammered into Sol's body like thousands of needles, but he didn't feel any of them, but instead continued to charge the group.

Shooting his hand out, Sol gripped one of the many soldier's heads, exploding it with a fiery bang. Slashing left and right, he fought his way to Dizzy, who was still passed out on the ground, although she had been dragged outside. He cut a line into the ground, separating the soldiers from Dizzy and himself. The line quickly seemed to take on a life of its own, and it began to catapult blades of fire towards the armed men.

Slamming his blade down through the fires, Sol knelt down and prepared to raise an inferno beneath him. "DIE, YOU BASTARDS!" he roared as he propelled himself towards his foes. Lances of raging fire burst through the ground and completely incinerated the soldiers, until only ashes were left.

Half naked and bleeding, Sol knelt down to the girl and shook her, "Dizzy! Dizzy! Wake up! Come on, wake up! God _damn _it, Sol! You couldn't even protect _one _person!"

Making sure to keep his tears in, Sol's mind began to think rationally again. 'Who can help? A doctor could help! A doctor… A doctor… Maybe…' Sol made up his mind and picked up Dizzy in his arms, cradling her as though she were the most precious thing in the world.

X—X—X—X—X

Ky flipped on the TV and turned on the Noon News, so he could keep updated on life. He stared intently at the screen, so as to not miss even the most minute of details.

Jam sat down next to him, placing her arm around him, "Well, at least nobody's distracted us today. I hope we can just relax for today… I don't want anything too hectic to happen."

Nodding, Ky ran his hand through his golden hair, pushing it away from his eyes. The knight smiled warmly at Jam and said, "At least we don't have any neighbors that are remotely close to our house. Heh, this ought to give us some time to repair some of the…"

A whole window fell inward, and smashed on the hardwood floors. The frame had been nearly cloven in two. It was destined to happen _sooner _or later, because of the simple physics.

"… _damage_ that's been done." Ky cleared his throat and looked down the hallway, to the shattering glass.

His wife nodded her head and the pair turned their attention to the television once again.

"-_are about to turn to a live interview with Mr. Ky Kiske, and his wife Jam Kiske. There was a disturbance last night in which the two were forced to defend themselves against some unknown force. We hope to gain as much information as we can from the Knight and his Lady_."

Ky's eyes widened as he heard the ring of the doorbell. 'Is there no rest for me, Lord?'

Jam put a hand to her face and cried out, "Son of a…"

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Indeed, Sol has begun to fight again. I missed writing his insanely violent sequences. I had originally planned to completely skip out on Ky and Jam this chapter, but I _always _have both couples in each chapter. Gotta put them in, ya know?

**Bonus**: This one is SIMPLE. I practically handed this one to you. Who is Sol taking Dizzy to see? The first person to guess it can give me an idea that _they _want to see in the story, and I'll seriously consider putting it in.


	8. Knife's Edge

**Foreword**: Again, Sorry that the last chapter took so long. I'll be trying to pump these ones out quicker.

**A Special Thanks To**: Taromaru (He won the last bonus!) and all my reviewers. Thanks, people, you're helping me to keep writing.

**Disclaimer**: No, I don't own Guilty Gear, but if you look closely, you can see a poster, and also two clips of game play in the movie called "Grandma's Boy"

* * *

Ravenous reporters were knocking on Ky's door, eager to get the first story. "Mr. Kiske! Mr. Kiske! Can you tell us what happened last night?" 

Ky opened the door slowly, with Jam at his side, "I'm very sorry, but my wife and I are tired, so if you could just…"

The sight of hundreds of reporters, along with news crews and helicopters, all parked in his front yard immediately bombarded him. He looked down to a patch of smashed flowers and sighed, "And I just planted those too…"

Still, the reporters clamored for the couple, and for the story of their night. They wanted all the details, no holds barred.

Jam tugged on Ky's shirt and whispered, "How the hell are we going to get these people off our damn yard?"

He covered his mouth, as if he were yawning, and whispered back, "I have no idea… Reporters these days are ravenous… Well, we could always just tell them to come back later."

The Chinese beauty grinned deviously, "I have a better idea."

X—X—X—X—X

Half naked and bleeding, Sol sprinted through the narrow streets of the slums, feverishly searching for the man he knew could help, despite how much Sol hated seeing him.

"Goddamn it! Where is that freak?" Sol shouted as he looked down the alleyways.

Dizzy's blue hair flopped lazily as her limp body was cradled in Sol's muscular arms. The girl's once pristine clothes had been stained with splotches of blood.

The wounds didn't even seem to affect Sol, as his adrenaline kept him going. As he ran, his sturdy muscles forced many of the bullets that were stuck in his body out. None of this was happening because Sol wished it, but rather, his body was acting on its own.

A voice called out from behind him, "What have you done to that poor girl?"

Sol whipped around and stared straight into the brown paper bag that covered Faust's face. "I didn't do nothin', crazy bastard!"

The kooky doctor swam through the air, and squatted next to the pair. "Ah! I see! I know exactly how to fix this problem! I've encountered this before, and ooh boy, can I tell you stories about this. There was this one young lady had symptoms similar to these. Obviously, I used what little skill of medicine that I have, and in the end, Justice and Love always prevailed, just as they did in this stor-"

Sol cut the doctor off short, and impatiently stomped his foot, "Cut the damn babbling, you psycho. Focus on taking care of Dizzy!"

The bleeding man gently set Dizzy on the ground and whispered to her, "It's alright, Diz. I've got somebody who can help you." He stood up and took a few steps back, loosing the sword that was tucked under his belt.

"Hmmm," Faust said with a determined sigh, "It may require an operation though…" He readied his scalpel and slowly lowered it closer to Dizzy.

"You operate on her," Sol growled, as Fireseal began to drool flames onto the ground, "and I operate on you." He had raised his sword to a point where he could easily split the doctor's skull.

Faust let out an audible gulp, and lowered his scalpel. He opened a medical box that he somehow had produced in the last few seconds. Vials of green and red and purple all glinted in the thin beams of sunlight that filtered through the roofs of the tall buildings. The lanky doctor selected a syringe filled with a viscous, orange fluid, and lowered it to Dizzy's arm. "This will only feel like a slight pinprick, my dear."

As soon as the medicine had been injected into Dizzy's blood, she began to squirm and writhe, as though she were in severe pain.

Rage immediately consumed Sol, and he slammed Faust against the wall, strangling the man with one hand. "What the hell did you do to her!" he snarled. Flames had begun to form, and lace the fingers clamped down viciously on the poor doctor's neck.

"It's just her body reacting to the antibodies! Strangling a helpless doctor is bad karma, you know. That might come back to bite you one day. You're quite lucky that I'm such a forgiving person, and that I'm dedicated to doing the right thing!" Faust stepped through a random door that had been spawned in the middle of the alleyway.

Clenching his hand into a fist, Sol turned around, to face the quirky doctor. "You bastard… I forgot that you could do that sort of thing… I swear to God, if she doesn't get better _fast_, you're going to die a painful death."

"If that is what you believe you must do, then you can try, but Justice and Love are both on my side!" Faust stood up to his full height, and flashed Sol a peace sign.

"Moron!" Sol called out to him as Faust was starting to walk away. 'Damn it… I still need his help… I have no idea how to take care of a girl like this…' Sol crossed his arms and spat on the ground, "What do I need to do to take care of her?"

"As much as I dislike rude people, I do not want to see young Dizzy in harms way… You must let her get plenty of rest, and she has to drink lots of water, make sure that she is always warm or in a warm room, so that she can sweat out the poison…" The man bowed to Sol, but looked up once more, "You look like _you _might require medical attention as well, allow me to assist you." He crawled over to Sol, with his scalpel ready.

"I don't need anything else from you… My wounds have already stopped bleeding." Sol picked Dizzy back up, cradling her fidgeting body in his arms once again.

Faust immediately had his fingers poking, prodding, and examining one of the bullet holes in Sol's shoulder. "Fascinating!" he murmured, "You aren't a human, are you, Mr. Badguy? Well, not anymore, that is. It seems as though you _used _to be one."

Shrugging him off of his shoulder, Sol looked back at the gangly man, "If you tell anybody about this, I'll slay you so quickly that you'll still think you were alive."

"Ah, you do not have to worry." The bag-headed doctor replied, "I'm bound under the law to not speak a word, because of Doctor-Patient Privilege."

Sol walked away, back down the alleyways. He was headed for home… The only place that he had ever _truly _called home… The forest had some sort of quality that would always make him feel welcome. Maybe it was just the fact that Dizzy was always there, waiting for him.

The winged half-Gear shifted once again, and Sol's lips slowly curled into a smile, "It's alright, Diz… I'll make sure you get better. See? I'm smiling just like you wanted me to…"

Faust looked on at the retreating figure of Sol Badguy, and whispered, "You are in the capable hands of a strong man, Dizzy, m'girl. He's quite the angry one, but I'm sure that you could change that… given a couple of hundred years."

He started laughing crazily, and opened his umbrella, sending himself floating through the air, borne up on the winds.

X—X—X—X—X

Beads of sweat dripped down Dizzy's brow, as she lay curled up in her bed, surrounded by thick blankets.

Over in the corner, Sol sat in a wooden chair, in the same state as Dizzy, minus the blankets. Like bullets, the sweat poured off of him, as waves of heat emanated from his body. 'Keep her warm, right? I think I can manage that one…'

"God! This thing's hotter than hell!" Sol slid his hand under his headband, and cupped his forehead, in a futile attempt to cool down the blazing mark on his forehead. He shook his head and let down his hair, allowing it to all cascade down his shoulders, as though it were water.

He stood up, and knelt beside Dizzy. "Dizzy, are you awake yet?" Upon receiving no response, Sol sighed, and brushed some of the hair off of her face. Sitting back down, he checked over his body, making sure that all his wounds had healed.

Grimacing, Sol glanced down at his abs, where the skin had healed over a bullet. The protruding slug hadn't been forced out just yet, and it was stretching the skin on his abdomen.

The glinting steel of the kitchen knife seemed to fluctuate due to the extreme heat of the room, and Sol's fingers slowly tightened around it, into a fist. 'Let's see… It's just like before I was changed into a…'

Slowly, but surely, Sol sliced open his abdomen, cutting only the skin. Blood flowed like a small stream out of the cut. Using his two smallest fingers, he gently parted the muscle fibers, and plucked out the bullet with his other hand.

Gasping in pain, Sol hissed, "This hurts a crap load more when I have to do it _manually_." He tossed the bloody knife onto the dresser near Dizzy's bed, and pressed his hand over the bleeding gash. 'Guess I still gotta wait for her.'

X—X—X—X—X

Jam looked straight at one of the reporters and shrugged, "We've got a termite problem, see?" She punched a piece of wood on the house, which crumbled as soon as she hit it. "We just realized that they were doing all this damage, so-"

One of the people cut her off, and said, "What about the claims that you two were fighting three men who entered your house late last night?"

"Isn't it polite to let somebody finish speaking before you ask another question?" Jam's scathing glare was fixed on the man that had interrupted her. "Well, first off, it was night, so how could they tell that there were three people? We live miles away from the city, so how in the world would anybody have seen anything happening at all? People these days only want to make a big story about all these things, even when it's something as insignificant as termites."

"And what about claims that there was screaming last night?" A different reporter held her recorder close to Jam's face.

"Don't know how anybody'd know that I was screaming last night, but… Anyway, I kinda flipped out when I saw a termite, so I had to go screaming for my gallant and handsome husband." Jam grinned and playfully elbowed Ky in the arm.

"She's right, you know. I would very much appreciate it if nobody invaded our privacy again though. I am not amused with the fact that people are listening in on our home. If that is all you needed, Jam and I would like to go back inside. We have some business to attend to." Ky stood there, waiting for another question or comment to be hurled at them.

"We're very sorry to have made such a spectacle, Mr. Kiske. Quite sorry. We'll just be leaving now." One by one, the reporters and news teams began to vanish, leaving no trace that they were there, except, of course, the trampled flowers that Ky had just planted only days ago.

The happy couple retreated into their home, and Ky sighed in relief, "Finally, they are gone. When you said that you had a 'better idea' I almost thought that you were going to start beating them all up."

Jam rolled her eyes, "Don't you ever read magazines?"

Ky blankly stared back at her as if he were in deep thought, but finally nodded, "Well, I read the 'Crusader's Digest'."

"Ugh, that one is so boring! How can you stand to read it?" Jam picked up the thick issue of the aforementioned magazine, and held it aloft.

"Well, they only come out with one every couple of months, so I don't have to read as much. Besides, it talks about all the different angles of the war, so I can better understand the consequences of war _fully_." Ky scratched at his golden locks and shrugged, "And they wrote a special about me and General Undersn."

Jam half nodded, and set the magazine down once again, "Well, I guess that's true, but in something like _that_,they don't have any articles like they do in almost all other magazines. Now, it's all about who is sleeping with who, or who has what problems."

"That's horrible! How can people enjoy reading about people's problems like that?" Ky shook his head and tried to comprehend it.

"Well, some people just aren't satisfied with their own lives, so they turn to other people's problems… I just figured I'd give the reporters one of the most monotonous stories that I could think of, so that they'd leave us alone. Most people, obviously excluding you, would rather read about somebody's sex life than a termite infested house." Jam patted him on the back, as she grinned at him.

"People these days…" Ky sighed, thinking about how low some people could go. "You don't mind if I stay home from work today, right? I figured that we could spend some time at home, and then, if you want, I could take you somewhere… We haven't done anything like that for two or three weeks, and I think that you deserve to have fun."

"That, Mr. Kiske," hugging him tightly, Jam continued, "is an excellent idea."

"So it's _Mr. _Kiske now, is it?" Ky said with an amused smile on his face.

Jam rolled her eyes and draggedhim into the kitchen, "Well, let's at least have some breakfast."

"Sure, _Mrs. _Kiske."

"Oh, _shut up_."

* * *

Dizzy's eyes slowly opened and she sat up in her bed. She glanced around her familiar room and noticed Sol sitting in a chair right next to her bed. 

"You all right?" he asked, as he put his hand on her shoulder. He had put on a plain shirt, made of cottony black material, and had wiped away all the sweat from his body.

The half-Gear nodded, and smiled at him, "I had a pretty bad dream… There were all these people, and I couldn't move or anything… I- What's wrong?"

Sol's face was grim and he stared hard at Dizzy. 'What am I supposed to do? Should I tell her, or should we just leave it at a dream…? Gah, stupid decisions…'

"Dizzy… It was…"

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Sorry for the MASSIVE cliffhanger. I'll try to get the next chapter up REALLY quickly. Hooray! I made a longer chapter this time! I tried to add in some humor with Ky and Jam. I would absolutely freak out if reporters showed up at my door, because they twist your words so often… Then again, I don't have to worry about it, I'm only a kid, so what would they want with me? Yep, I decided to update pretty quickly, because I was so late with the last chapter. Hope you guys liked it. 

**Bonus**: None for this chapter, sorry folks.


	9. Nocturnal Duel

**Foreword**: Yeah, I know. That was a cliffhanger, at least it would be to me, if I wasn't writing the story. Don't worry I'll be solving that problem here. SOL IS OUT OF CHARACTER, but come on, he really cares about Dizzy. Let's forgive this one offense, hm? Eh, I think that Ky and Jam actually get the most screen time in this chapter, but not to worry! It should be entertaining… heheh.

**A Special Thanks To**: Taromaru, obviously, has been keeping this story alive. Thanks for keeping it alive. You're always first on the Special Thanks list. All you reviewers, Thank you for constantly reviewing and reading this story.

**Disclaimer**: Hey, if I owned Guilty Gear, Sol and Dizzy would definitely be together, and Jam and Ky would be married or something. So, in short, I don't own Guilty Gear.

* * *

"Dizzy… It was…" Sol let out a breath of frustration. "Look, you weren't dreaming. There's somebody who's after you."

"There's…?" Tears started to flow from her eyes as she said, "I… I wanted to live a life of peace! I didn't want to have to trouble anybody, least of all you, Sol."

"Ugh, stop crying… please. You know I can't stand it when somebody's crying… especially not you." Sol put his hand on her shoulder and was gently patting it. The waning light filtered into the stiflingly hot room, distorting into waves of fluctuating light.

She wiped away the tears, and nodded, "I-I forgot. You don't like it when people cry, do you?"

"I like it less when people that I _care about _are crying." Sol's long hair fluttered around his body as he stood up, and opened the window, allowing the fresh, cool, evening air into the roasting room. He looked over to the girl again, and said, "It's not your fault, Diz… These people that are after you are the ones to blame."

"I… I know, it's just… I didn't want to make you have to baby me… I didn't want you to have to always protect me all the time. I'd just be a complete burden then… That's all I ever do… All I can do is slow others down."

Sol sat back down and stared at her, saying nothing. Instead, his gaze intensified on her, staring straight into her own eyes.

Dizzy returned his stare through her teary eyes, and remained silent, just as Sol.

"Dizzy, you're not slowing anybody down, least of all me. You just need to cheer up. This is just once that these guys caught us with our guard down. It ain't gonna happen again." Sol's long hair fluttered in the cool breeze as he continued to watch her.

Dizzy shook her head as her tears began to fall once again, "But Sol! I'm… I-"

He waved his hand as he interrupted, lighting up a cigarette, "No. If I thought for one second that you were slowing me down, I'd have told you. I am keeping you safe because… You even said it yourself… We're friends, right? That's what we do. Now… Wipe away those tears, won't you?"

"Y-You really mean that… Don't you?" Dizzy whisked away the tears and allowed her radiant smile to shine through, despite her sadness.

Sol said nothing, and only nodded. Slowly though, his own mouth began to work on it's own, and a smile settled upon his lips, returning that of Dizzy's.

The blue haired girl almost dove out of bed, and into Sol's arms. She hugged him tightly and kissed him on the cheek. "Th-Thank you, Sol… It really means a lot to me."

The astounded bounty hunter eventually fought off his paralysis, and gently closed his own arms around Dizzy.

X—X—X—X—X

Ky idly toyed with Thunderseal as he called to his wife, "Jam, if you don't hurry up, we're going to miss our reservations!"

From up the stairs, a voice shouted out to him, "Ky… We're going to _my _restaurant. We don't _NEED _reservations!"

"That's true…" he whispered. Shrugging, Ky fixed up his suit, and hung his trusty sword at his side. "But, still! It doesn't hurt to be punctual, does it?"

Jam came down the stairs, dressed in a traditional outfit, complete with a golden dragon embroidered on the dress.

Ky smiled warmly at his wife, "So, I can see you still like to put an impression on people."

"Of course I do! It seems like it always works on you, no matter _what _I'm wearing," Jam paused for a moment and grinned, "If anything."

Ky rolled his eyes and grinned, "You have a one-track brain, you know that?"

"Well it's a lot more fun than having to be all proper, like the good little knight, isn't it?" Jam poked her husband in the chest and giggled.

"I wouldn't know anything about that." He put an arm around the woman and smiled, "I guess old habits are tough to break."

Jam and her husband stepped out into the cool, crisp night, and the moon bathed them in it's pale and translucent light. "Oh! The moon's so pretty tonight! I wish it was a full moon!"

"Well, it looks like you won't have to wait for too long… Hmm, it'll probably be full on Saturday." Ky examined the moon, making sure that he was correct in his assessment.

Jam pouted playfully and clung onto Ky, "What? I have to wait a whole week for the full moon?"

"Yes, it seems that way, doesn't it? Anyway, don't you think we should go now? It's getting close to when our reservations are set for." Ky began walking down their moonlit walkway, and opened their garage.

"Okay_ fine_, Mr. Punctuality. Geez, I swear, if we aren't five minutes early, we're five minutes late!"

Ky opened the car door for his wife and let her sit down. "You just love harping on me for that, don't you?"

"Heheh, yeah. It's so much fun to tease you, Ky," Jam giggled and watched as Ky hopped in next to her, and fired up the engine.

X—X—X—X—X

A rough-and-tumble man sat down in a chair, "Gimme something quick." He ran his fingers through his raven black hair, making it spike up even further.

The waiter stood rigidly and said, "What do you mean, Sir? This is a fine restaurant, but it is not meant for fast food."

"Well, you tell that chef back there to hurry up, or I'll have to…" He smirked and cracked his knuckles once or twice. "_Help _him, if you will."

The waiter hurried away, and disappeared into the kitchen.

Compared to all the rest of the finely dressed people, the shabby looking man, dressed only in jeans and a tattered, white, trench coat, he looked like nothing more than a street urchin. The sleeves had been ripped off of the coat, adding to its grimy appearance.

Scurrying back with a platter, the waiter dropped it off right next to the man and said, "Here is your steak. Since you wanted it so quickly, I'm afraid we haven't had much time to cook it. It's extra rare, hope you don't mind."

The coarse man ripped into his food, violently devouring it. As he did so, he pulled out a wad of cash, paying for his meal in hundred dollar bills, despite the fact that it was only twenty.

Again, the waiter ran away, making sure to keep a fair distance away from the man.

"That was a nice meal, Jam. I'm glad that your restaurant finally got the recognition it deserved. You now own a five-star place, opposed to the old stand." Ky and Jam both stood up, and Ky immediately locked onto the dirty looking man, although he did it without suspicion.

The pair walked out onto the patio of the restaurant, chatting nicely, although, Ky made sure to watch the rough man in the corner of his eyes.

"Hey, you blonde haired wimp. Yeah, you, with the sword!"

Ky turned around to see the same man facing him as he had been keeping his eyes on. "Do I have business with you?"

"You do now. My name is Jay Derakh, the Lunar Blade. I'm also the guy who's gonna kill you." he undid his trench coat, revealing a muscular body, masked only by a black shirt.

Jam pulled on Ky's sleeve and whispered, "Should we double team his ass!"

The blonde knight turned to her and shook his head, "It wouldn't be right, Jam. This is a duel. A one-on-one, personal fight. I can't just let the rules of engagement go unobserved."

The Chinese woman sighed with a chuckle, "You _would _think about those sorta things when you're about to get into a fight."

"Shut up! Now… Get ready to die!" Jay shot forward with uncanny speed and completely ripped off Ky's coat. He held his hand forward, allowing the knight to see the razor edged claws that had grown onto his hands.

Ripping of the rest of his shirt, Ky drew his sword and prepared for battle, leveling his sword to face his enemy.

The Lunar Fang shot forward once again, swiping at the swordsman's feet, in an attempt to shake his balance.

Ky hopped over this attack, and flipped off of the assassin's back, slashing his blade over his foe's spine.

Howling in rage, Jay's green eyes shifted into a yellow color, and his claws grew in length once again. "I'm through screwing around with you! Time to end this!" His whole face began to change slowly, and hairs began to increase in length all over his body.

A wolfish howl escaped from his lips as he bayed at the moon. "And now, you know _why_ I'm the Lunar Blade!" Towering over Ky was a werewolf, and a savage looking one at that.

Ky didn't even flinch, but instead prepared his blade once more. 'I have faced every other sort of enemy. Why not add a werewolf into the mix?'

Diving through the air, Jay slashed Ky straight down the chest, ripping open his body. Pivoting on his left foot, the wolfish man delivered a fierce kick into the very same location. He hadn't finished his business yet, and pounced on top of the fallen knight. He reared both arms back, for a massive slash with his claws.

Ky swung his legs around and sending the werewolf backward a few steps. He sprung up to his feet, and slashed at the nocturnal creature. Lightning trails flowed behind the blade, even as it connected with the skin, biting into it as though there were absolutely no resistance.

He continued slashing and hacking at the werewolf, brandishing his blade quicker and quicker with each stroke. By now, lightning was dancing across the wolf's fur, singing it with the volatile force of a lightning bolt. Ky slashed at him hard, sending him reeling backwards once again. He followed up this attack with a curt front flip, and lashed out with his foot, catching Jay in the chest.

The Thunderseal glowed the color of pure, luminous silver, whilst furious lightning skipped across the edge of the blade. Ky could feel the thunderous energy amassing within his body and also within his sword, and allowed himself to release it all at once. His legs spread further apart and dragged the blade across the ground, until finally he sliced upwards with it, releasing the explosive energy straight into the werewolf.

A furious tempest engulfed the wolf-man, and ravaged him with its wild fury.

Jay fell to his knees, forcibly returned to his human form. Bleeding and wounded, he stood back up on shaky legs, "So I underestimated you… You're nothing like anybody I've fought before… There's not a drop of mercy when you fight. You didn't hesitate and were fully prepared to kill me, weren't you? Most of you self-righteous bastards from the Crusades are all talk, and can't fight…But you…"

Ky raised his sword once again, "If you try to continue fighting, you will die. Please, for your sake, submit."

Jay continued bleeding from his chest, although he didn't seem to care about it much, despite the fact that there were over fifty different slashes that had been carved into his skin.

"Stay down, or you will get hurt. I am not a pushover like those you speak of. I always make sure to keep my blade and my skills sharp." Ky's blade began to sparkle once again, and he called out, "Perhaps you would like to Ride the Lightning!"

Backing away, Jay flipped Ky the finger, and called out to him, "Heh! You're lucky it wasn't a full moon!" He bound away, down the streets, and disappeared into the night.

Still on his guard, Ky surveyed the area, making sure that the Lunar Blade wouldn't try to make another attack on them.

The Chinese woman that had been silent through the match gingerly touched Ky's back. "Ky…" she said, as she turned him around and touched his chest, "You're bleeding… Are you alright?"

"I am fine for now. I should be able to manage until we can get home, but I think it'll be up to you to drive. I'm sorry that this had to happen tonight, Jam. I just wanted to have a normal night out with you, but look what happens…" Ky frowned as he sheathed his sword once again.

"What counts is that you're alright. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't fine, Ky." Jam leaned on him, and planted a kiss on his lips, making sure that her actions spoke for her. The woman put an arm around his waist, helping to support him.

The couple slowly made their way to he car, with Ky using Jam like a crutch. Obviously, the crowd that had gathered, and had begun gawking, along with the usual flurry of questions, had made it even more difficult to get to their car.

Ky sat down in the car, nursing his slashed up chest, making sure to block the blood flow with the shreds of his coat. "Ugh, I'm ready to just go home and sleep."

X—X—X—X—X

Dizzy sat quietly in her room, as she thought about what had happened all day. 'Sol… He seems a little different now… He's not as… hm, rough, I guess would be the word. He's a lot more gentle…'

Pulling the bow out of her hair, Dizzy put her head down on her pillow and yawned, 'I'd better go to sleep now. I want to get up early, and make breakfast for Sol… He deserves that much, at least…'

Her eyelids gradually closed, and the half-Gear drifted off into the realm of dreams.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: I stayed up until 3:49:37 AM to finish this chapter for you guys. I can do one of these chapters in an hour or two, but that's only if I'm really focused. I hope you enjoyed it. Can't you tell I had trouble finding a way to end it? Hahah, sorry guys.

**Bonus**: Name that line! Where did "Heh! You're lucky it wasn't a full moon!" come from? It's from another fighting video game, but that's my only hint to you all.

**Double Bonus**: Where did I find the name for Jay Derakh? I doubt anyone will get this, but hey, you never know. Whoever gets this one is insanely awesome.


	10. Calm Before the Storm

**Foreword**: Butt-Goblin deserves a standing ovation. He got the double bonus, which I was _sure _nobody would get. Good Job. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

**A Special Thanks to**: Taromaru, obviously, because he's the one responsible for having me extend this story (It used to be a one-shot). _Butt-Goblin is a complete bad ass_, because he got the Double Bonus right. I also have to extend my thanks to Orgy, because their music has kept me writing, and I even borrowed part of Jay and Amir for a character.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Jay Gordon or Amir Derakh (from the band Orgy), I only spliced their names, heheh… oh yeah, and I don't own Guilty Gear either.

* * *

"You have failed to eliminate Officer Ky Kiske, haven't you? You are aware of the consequences of this, correct? We do not tolerate failure."

"N-No! Don't lay a hand on Elise! I swear! I'll take him out soon! Please, just leave Elise out of this!" Jay was slumped over, and his whole upper torso was wrapped crudely in blood-soaked bandages.

"Very well… We shall give you until the night after the full moon. Even a simple beast like you should be able to handle the job by then."

Grunting in pain, Jay got to his feet whiles the pair of shadowy figures melted into the night. "Ergh… Bastards… Nothin' against this Kiske, but Elise comes first."

X—X—X—X—X

Sol's eyes snapped open, and he sat up in his bed. He immediately yawned and lit up a cigarette in the same exact breath. The wisps of smoke flowed out the window, while the morning light shone into his room.

He completely slipped off his headband, and trudged into the bathroom with his headband dangling from his fingers. 'If I can keep focused, I can repress it for a little while.'

Looking straight into the mirror, the mark on his forehead burned a bright and fiery color, emitting a wave of heat from it. Sol immediately splashed some chilly water on it, in an attempt of cooling it off.

Instant relief spread over his body, and he could feel the heat receding somewhat. 'It never used to do this. Piece of junk.'

He closed his eyes and stepped into the shower, "Still have time."

X—X—X—X—X

Dizzy gently knocked on Sol's door, and the soft gesture somehow pushed open the door, granting her access to his domain.

"S-Sol? Are you in here?" Dizzy took a few steps into his room and looked around.

The gruff voice she had become accustomed to called out behind her, "Lookin' for me?"

Dizzy turned around only to see Sol putting on his headband. A fiery-looking light that had from Sol's forehead had been stifled by his blocky and very much opaque headband. "Um, yeah… What was that light, if you don't mind me asking?"

The man played it off as though it were some completely minute detail. His only response to the girl was, "Nothin'. Just the sun, I guess."

"Sol… It's okay. You can trust me with these things…" Dizzy's burgundy eyes pleaded with the ochre orbs of Sol's.

The man sighed and mumbled, "Whatever… you'd figure out sooner or later." For the second time in one day, the only barrier between Sol and his Gear tendencies was removed from his head.

Dizzy cocked her head to one side and examined the blazing symbol. "So… You're… You're like me? You're a-"

Sol cut off her sentence, and put the headband back on, "Not quite. You're half of a Gear. Me? I was… I was the original Gear. I used to be human, but I was the prototype for the Gears."

Dizzy shook her head, trying to comprehend the information that Sol was giving her. "You… What? How would that work? I thought that humans couldn't become Gears."

"Obviously, they can. Just look at the two of us."

The blue haired girl looked up at Sol with an inquisitive look. "O-oh… yes, I guess that's true. So you dedicated your body to scientific research?"

The man scoffed at the notion and lit up another cigarette, allowing the Nicotine to soothe him. "Hell no, but that didn't stop the team from _taking _it."

"Who? You keep saying _them_ but never told me who they were."

Sol took a massive puff off of his cancerous stick. "The rest of the research team. I was the head researcher… Our financial backing pulled out when we were about to finish, and my second in command used me as a guinea pig."

"Um… Mr. S… Sorry, Sol… You're really big and muscular. How would they be able to use you as a _guinea pig_?" Dizzy bit her lower lip, hoping desperately that she wasn't intruding on his privacy. It was the last thing that she wanted to do with a person that had been such a good friend to her.

Sol's voice was cold and bitter while he spat out, "Why don't you try fighting off armed people when you've been hit with a couple of tranquilizers?"

Immediately, Dizzy knew she had done something wrong, and she knew that she must apologize for it. "I-I'm sorry, Sol! I really didn't mean to be rude."

The tone in his voice was less severe, and Sol's eyes seemed to soften. "It's alright, Diz. Can't have known."

"I still should have. I shouldn't have pressed you. It's my fault." Dizzy folded her arms and stared at the ground, as though she couldn't stand to look at Sol.

Sol took a step forward and put his hand on her shoulder. "Dizzy. Stop. You don't need to blame yourself. _I _shouldn't have gotten so angry."

Slowly, but very surely, Dizzy's body gravitated towards Sol's, and they were doomed to collide in a very short time. The girl's cheek eventually pressed against Sol's chest, and she closed her arms around him. "I'm sorry that I keep doing this… I just…"

"I don't mind, Dizzy," Sol nodded, and reluctantly returned the embrace, as though it was like a crime. "Whatever makes you happy." 'Why the hell do you keep doing this, Sol? I thought I couldn't get attached to anybody! … Maybe it's for the better…'

X—X—X—X—X

Ky sat in front of his fireplace, quietly reading the Bible. He continued to flip through the pages until he had reached his favorite story.

Jam half walked, half danced into the room, and flashed a grin his way. "The Walls of Jericho _again?_ Don't you already know that whole story by heart?"

"Well, it never hurts to reread something. I just like the story. Faith and Justice will always prevail over your enemies." Ky continued to read through the section, making sure to fully analyze each passage.

Jam sat down next to him and examined his chest. "How do you feel? Do they still hurt?"

"Not so much. It stopped hurting some time in the night, I assume. I felt no pain when I woke up." Ky smiled over at his concerned wife, and put an arm around her. "Thank you for caring, like always."

"You know, Ky…" Jam put her hand over the page, so that she would have his complete and undivided attention. "I was scared last night, Ky. Every time you get into a fight like that, I'm scared that you _won't _be alright. I… I know you can take care of yourself, but… I just can't help it."

Ky calmly removed Jam's hand from the Bible, closed it, and put it back in its respective place. After putting the holy book away, Ky turned to face his wife completely, and held her hand in his own. "Jam… I know that nothing I can say will truly stop you from getting scared when I'm fighting, but I believe that God and my faith will protect me. Alone, these are not much, but with the will and determination to see things through, I know that nothing can stand in my path. I will _always _come back to you. You could say that I'm sort of like a boomerang."

"Silly, why would I throw you away?" Jam giggled, in order to lighten the mood. She knew that Ky would do everything he could to survive and to stay with her. It was best that they didn't dwell upon such matters, so the woman completely changed the subject.

Ky shrugged and squeezed her hand, "I don't know."

Jam played with her hair a little bit, and said, "I wouldn't ever do something like that. Heheh, you'd probably starve to death, because nothing tastes as good or filling as something that _I _cook."

"I don't know about _starve_, but I definitely wouldn't be eating as well." Ky's gentle eyes stared into Jam's, and he hugged her. "I forgot to tell you that I love you this morning."

"I'll let it slide this time, because I know you'll probably tell me about five or six more times today."

Ky chuckled and shrugged, "Yes, well, I can't help it. I always want you to know."

X—X—X—X—X

Sol, with his ever-present cigarette exuding its horrid smoke, looked up at Dizzy, from his chair, "Now, _that _was good. Thanks for breakfast, Diz."

"Um… No problem. I used to cook a lot on Mayship." Dizzy's navy blue hair lightly flapped in the gentle breeze, and she tucked it back behind her ear, keeping her face clear of hair.

Sol stood up from his chair and cracked his neck. "Well… I'd better go grab that wood I chopped yesterday, before it starts to rain."

"It's going to rain?" Dizzy asked. "How can you tell?"

"I can smell it. I'm not sure how far away it is though." Sol looked over at Dizzy and said, "You'd better come _with _me. I don't want a repeat performance of earlier. If you're with me, then I can keep you safe."

"I can keep her safe, you fiery bastard!"

"…"

Dizzy touched her black wing and flushed crimson. "Shhh, Necro! That wasn't very nice to say to Sol. He's a good friend of mine."

Sol folded his arms and glared at the animated wing. "Keep her safe like you did last time? I don't think so, Reaper wannabe. I know that I can keep Dizzy safe if she's with me."

Though Necro tried to lash out at Sol, both Dizzy and Undine restrained him. His woman counterpart chided his behavior, reminding him of a few facts, "Remember, Necro, you threw out the first insult. Besides, Sol is right. We aren't always enough to protect Dizzy."

Sol stomped out his cigarette, and lit another one by running the tip along the edge of his now-flaming finger. "Come on, Diz. We need to get this wood before it starts pourin'."

Dizzy nodded and ran to his side. After walking along with him for a few minutes, the girl spoke up. "Um… Sol? I have a question."

Sol just kept walking and simply grunted, signifying that she should go ahead and ask it.

Dizzy's cheeks flushed a rosy pink, and she struggled to find the words she wanted, "Um… well… This is kind of embarrassing, but…"

Though he still kept walking, Sol rolled his neck, and watched Dizzy from over his shoulder.

"I was wondering if… Would you mind if I held your hand?" The blue haired half-Gear had never felt so awkward in her entire life. She had no real idea about what she was feeling, because, though she may have looked older, the truth was, Dizzy was only four years old. She had only four meager years of experience in her life, and she had no previous encounters like this to go off of.

After remaining silent for a short time, Sol eventually put out his hand, so that Dizzy could take it.

The tender girl took his hand, and held on tightly. 'Is… Is he angry with me? Why isn't he saying anything?' "Um… Sol? You're so quiet… Are you angry at-"

The man turned his head and, in a rare display, smiled gently at her. "No. I'm just making sure that we're alone in the forest. Let's hurry up and get that wood, okay?"

The sight of the usually stern man _genuinely _smiling instantly changed Dizzy's mood, and she returned his smile enthusiastically. "Sure thing."

X—X—X—X—X

"Elise… I'm home…" Jay staggered into a small apartment, and collapsed into a chair. 'Ugh… that knight was no joke… He knew what he was doing, and he was prepared to kill me if he had to. People like him are hard to come by now… he was even offering mercy to me… Dunno why…'

"Jay? Is that you?"

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Okay people, the next chapter will focus around Jay sorta. He'll have his own large(ish) segment, because I have plans for him. Don't worry, it's all going to be taken care of. Oh yeah, next chapter will have some humor from Necro and Undine.

**Bonus**: This one is easy if you reread one of the chapters. What is the next likely misfortune that'll get Ky and Jam? Ky was just in a fight in _public_, remember what happened when he was in a fight in _private?_ Oops, I just gave it to you, pretty much.

**Double Bonus**: This one is almost easier than the bonus. Why did Jay's friend get the name of 'Elise'?


	11. Wolf's Den

**Foreword**: As I said, this one will be about Jay Derakh, as well as the others. I hope you enjoy it. You'll be able to tell what the next thing that Ky and Jam face is during this chapter. I named Jay's friend 'Elise' because of the piece by Beethoven called the 'Fur Elise'. I figured I'd keep true to the style, and use music to influence my writing a lot.

**A Special Thanks To**: Taromaru, he deserves every single ounce of praise I give him.

**Disclaimer**: Seriously, I don't own Guilty Gear.

* * *

"Jay? Is that you?" A girl who barely seemed eighteen dashed into the room, seeing him in the chair and covered in bloody wrappings. "Jay! You're hurt! You promised me! You promised me that you wouldn't get hurt!" 

She immediately went to his side and told him to remove his bandages, to which he vehemently refused to do. "But, Jay… I can't help if you don't take them off. Come on, I'm worried about you!"

Jay folded his arms and finally sighed, "Fine, whatever… I'll warn you now though… You ain't gonna like what you see."

The girl quickly removed the bandages, only to be greeted by the slashed up body of her friend. Tears formed in her eyes and she set about cleaning out his wounds. "Jay… I know that you're a mercenary, but still! Not all jobs are fighting! Why would you do something so dangerous?"

He quietly took her continued questioning, not bothering to answer any of them. Instead, he looked away from her, and tried his best to not wince as she dabbed disinfectant on his wounds.

"There's something wrong… I can tell!" Elise stopped and stared straight into Jay's eyes, despite the tears blurring her vision. "What are you hiding from me? I… I just want you to trust me."

Jay pulled away from her and clenched his fist, "It's not that! I trust you… It's just that…"

The girl wiped away tears from her violet eyes, and smoothed out her raven-black hair. "Just what? Jay, we've known each other for thirteen years! I can handle it."

"But… Alright, fine, Elise… I've gotten into some trouble with a group of bad people. They want me to kill some guy named Ky Kiske or somethin' like that." Jay definitely didn't seem to be too proud of himself at that very moment, as the girl backed away from him.

"K-Kill? How can you do something like that? I knew you were in some shady business, but you can't become a murderer!"

"Look! They said he was just some penny-ante guy! No friends, no family or nothin'! Nobody'd even know that he went missin'!" He knew that these facts would not change anything. Jay would be a murderer.

"Don't listen to that group! Ky Kiske! You mean Officer Ky Kiske! _GENERAL_ Ky Kiske! He's the leader of the Holy Knights! He's done so much good for the populace… Him and his wife, Jam, are both doing good things for this world! He's only been rumoured to lose to one or two people. Ever." Elise was frantic. The boy that she had grown up with, shared fond memories with… He was going to become a criminal. She would have to look into his eyes, and deal with his bloodstained hands each and every day.

"Married…? No… That can't be… They told me that…"

"He _is _married. Don't you recognize these two?" The girl held up a cooking magazine, on which both Jam and Ky stood on the front of it.

Jay rolled his eyes and grimaced, "Oh come on. You really expect me to remember that? You, of all people, should know that I have a bad memory."

The girl returned to fixing up Jay's wounds, and she spoke gravely once her chore had been completed. "Jay… I don't want you to murder anybody."

"Yeah… I know." The werewolf turned away from Elise and walked into his own room. 'This is for your good, though… I won't let anything happen to you… even if it means getting my hands dirty.'

X—X—X—X—X

Sol was burdened down by a massive load of wood, but it was nothing the robust man couldn't handle.

Dizzy trailed behind him by only one step. Dizzy's burgundy eyes carefully examined each and ever movement that the Prototype Gear was making.

A soft whisper sounded in the girl's ear, as Undine manifested herself. "Just look at him… He's got bulging muscles, a great body, and he's quite handsome, isn't he, my dear?"

Flushing, Dizzy whispered back to the white wing, "U-Undine! Will you stop, please? What are you trying to do?"

Necro decided to join the conversation and throw in his two cents. "Who knows what you friggin' women think about? Damn you, Frosty the She-Bitch… Tryin' to poison Dizzy's mind like that. I don't know what you see in that burnt out thug."

The navy haired beauty looked at Necro and, for once in her life, exerted some force. "Necro, stop. Sol is my friend, and I don't want you making bad comments about him."

"Friend _as of now_… If you wanted… I'm sure you could be _more _than friends, my dear." Undine flashed Dizzy a wink and a suggestive grin.

Dizzy was still blushing, and she asked Undine a question, in the softest voice she could possibly muster, "U-Undine? I… I think that I'm in love with Sol, but… Well… I don't know what to do. Can you help me?"

The bluish, angelic figure bowed to Dizzy and said "I would be honoured to help, my-"

She was cut off by one of Necro's usual derogatory comments. "Why would you ask for help from Frosty the She-Bitch?"

Said She-Bitch punched the darker personality in the side of the head, before returning to her usual wing form.

Necro, after much griping and grumbling, also returned to his dormant state.

Sol spat out the butt of a thoroughly finished cigarette, and looked over at Dizzy. "Hey Diz, can you give me a hand for a second?"

The girl stepped up her pace, and caught up to the tall man. "Um… Sure. What do you need?"

"Just finished a cigarette. Mind gettin' me another one? They're in my front pocket on my vest." He quickly motioned to his pocket, and awaited his nicotine fix.

Dizzy quickly placed a cigarette in his mouth, and looked around for something to light it with. "I'm sorry, Sol, but I just can't light it for you."

"Nah, I got it." Sol closed his eyes for a moment and focused on the end of the cigarette until he could hear a faint ringing in his ears. A flame instantly incinerated half of the tobacco stick, leaving only a minimal amount that could be smoked. "Son of a bitch!" Sol barked through his cigarette.

With one puff, the whole cigarette was turned to ash, and the chain smoker spat out the butt. "Sorry, Diz, can you get me another one?"

The navy haired girl shook her head.

"Wh-What? Why not!"

"There aren't any left, Sol. I think you've smoked them all already." Dizzy took one last check, and nodded, affirming that she was right.

"Son of a goddamn bitch!" Sol shouted as he cursed his luck.

"Don't worry, Sol. We're only a few minutes from home. I know you keep an extra pack in the kitchen, so you can just use those, I guess… I still think smoking is bad for you though." Dizzy continued to walk next to Sol, and gently ran her fingers through her hair.

"Didn't I already tell you? Smokin' doesn't affect me. I'm a Gear. Heh, if you want, I could probably get you a pack or two." Sol grinned, amused at his own little joke.

"Um… No thank you, Sol. I don't really like smoke, so I guess I'll just have to pass on this one. I'm sure you could probably smoke my share too." Dizzy saw as their small cottage slowly drifted into sight along the horizon.

"Ah… Crap…" Sol felt beads of moisture slapping against his cheek and dropping on his hair. "Of course, it decides to friggin' rain when we're only about a minute away from home."

Dizzy was immediately shielded by Undine, who prevented the rain from falling onto her. The half-Gear looked over at Necro with a pleading look, "Please, keep Sol from getting wet."

"Fine, fine, fine… I'll keep that smug bastard dry, if that's what you want."

The couple somehow made it back to their cottage before it had truly begun to rain. Each droplet of water sounded like a comet smashing to the Earth.

As soon as Sol dropped the wood, he flew like a bat out of hell towards his cigarettes. Immediately, he popped two of them in his mouth, and lit them up at the same time.

Dizzy, still uneasy with him smoking so much, cautiously called out, "Sol! You don't need to do two of those at the same time!"

The man simply shrugged and continued to puff away. "Had to make up for the one I didn't get on the way back."

The girl simply sighed and began to fix her somewhat ruffled appearance, due to all of the running they did.

X—X—X—X—X

Ky looked over to the direction of the loud noise, and leaned, so he could get a better view. "I'll get the door, Jam." He stood up and went to the front door, wondering who would be ringing.

As soon as the door was opened, Ky was barraged by a wave of light, and thousands of questions all at once. Reporters, trying to get the scoop on last night, immediately overwhelmed the shirtless and slashed up Ky Kiske.

"Mr. Kiske! What are all those wounds from? Do they have anything to do with the rumoured fight with some sort of wolfish creature?"

Ky sighed and reached inside, grabbing his robe. He quickly pulled the silken coat over his body, so that the cuts were less visible. "Yes, I was attacked by a wolf creature, and we both exchanged some blows…"

Jam stepped out next to Ky, after hearing the great commotion. She too was dressed as though she had just gotten out of bed. Luckily though, she was dressed more than Ky was, for she, at least, had a full set of clothes on under her robe, albeit they weren't the most covering apparel. "Damn it… Reporters again…" the woman muttered.

"What should we do?" he whispered back, making sure that nobody could see their conversation.

Jam thought for a moment, and then an idea hit her with about as much force as a brick. "Uh… Oh! Say that this stuff is confidential, and that you can't say anything until after the investigation! Yes, Ky… I know it's a lie, but it's much better to lie about something like this, because our lives would be less trouble."

Ky was torn between decisions, and he looked at her again, "But… God says that it is a sin. I can't just lie like this…"

"Think, Ky." She said, as she herself was trying to think of a way around this little problem. After a few seconds, the woman winked at him, "This one sin will _prevent _a countless amount of other sins from happening. I'm sure God will understand, right?"

He sighed and replied, "Very well… There is a great amount of truth in that. Thank you, Jam."

The blonde knight turned to the crowd, and he said, "I'm sorry that I can't address any more questions, because we've just received a call that details are to be classified, until an investigation is completed."

Groaning as a whole, the reporters slowly shuffled off of the Kiske property, just as they had done the day before.

The couple quickly retreated back into their mansion, making sure to lock the door behind them. Instead of being bombarded by cameras and reporters, this time, they were assaulted by the horrid ringing of the phone.

The sound was quickly silenced, as Ky plucked the phone off of the wall and answered it. "Ky Kiske. How may I help you?"

"Good work, Ky! I just saw you tell the reporters that it was classified. I don't know how you knew, but I'm glad you told them off before I got the chance to tell you. Well, I'll let you get back to your wife and tea."

"Goodbye, Chief." Ky set the phone back down and smiled at Jam. "I didn't lie! It actually _was _considered classified before I told the reporters."

His wife hugged him, and chuckled, "You're happier that you didn't lie than avoiding the reporters, aren't you? Well, I'm happy that everything went perfectly for us."

Ky sipped at his teacup, and tightened his robe around his body. "It's getting cooler… Did it start raining?"

Jam leaned backwards, and saw around the corner, looking through the window. "Yep. Looks like it just started too."

"I'm sure it's warmer by the fire." Ky took Jam's hand and the two walked into the living room, sitting close to the fireplace.

Jam grinned and let the heat wash over her. "Heh, imagine that. You were right."

X—X—X—X—X

The night sky had just set in, though it was still raining quite hard. The day had passed by quickly, as though it was being chased away by something.

Amber liquid slid down Jay's throat, as he sat at the counter of his favourite bar. He had been silently drinking for near to an hour, not even saying a word to the barkeep. 'I know what I have to do… but… it doesn't mean I like it. Elise looks at me as if I actually _wanted _to kill him! I'd just as soon not kill him, but she doesn't realize that she's in danger if I don't… Damn it…' He raised his finger, ordering another drink.

The bartender quickly refilled his glass, and said only a few words to Jay. "Rough day?"

Nodding, Jay sipped at his drink again. The tattered white cloak around his body was damp, due to walking in the rain to get here.

The door opened with a resounding creak, admitting three people more people into the otherwise empty bar.

The three instantly surrounded him, and the one to his left sat down. "I see you are going after Kiske. We have been ordered to tell you that we can and _will _kill you if you betray us. Also, we were told to return this to you." He dropped a necklace onto the counter, and stood up to walk away.

'This was my mother's… How could they possibly get to it? I always have it locked in my drawer…' He examined the three retreating figures and called out to the one that spoke, "You. Savage, wasn't it? If any of you bloodsuckers come around my home again, I won't hesitate to kick your asses."

One of the two that had remained silent started to talk hysterically and rubbed his hands together, "Vicious claims the pretty girl's blood! He claims it right now!"

The two other vampires glared at him, their eyes telling him to stifle his racket.

Jay shot through the air, and quickly clamped his fingers down over Vicious' throat. In a dangerously quiet voice, he said, "You shouldn't have said anything about Elise."

He kneed the vampire in the stomach, and then shoved him to the ground. Jay silenced all of the prostrate being's whining, with a ferocious kick to the throat.

The other two fanged folks looked on with mild interest as Jay completely flogged the psychotic vampire.

Jay turned away from them and growled, "Go…" He roughly threw the limp and beaten body of Vicious at them, and snarled. "And take your friend with you."

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Wow, that one turned out to be longer than expected. Oh well. Yes, I decided to give Jay some background and stuff, because he'd be kinda boring if he was just there to kill stuff. Anyway, I hope you all liked it. 

**Bonus**: Sorry, I can't think of one for here.


	12. Fanged Furor

**Foreword**: Like always, I've been in a heavy metal frenzy, so I can only hope it helps my writing along. Anyway, I finally got this chapter done. I would've had it done earlier, but with 4th of July and stuff… heheh, I was in no mood to write, I was busy exploding stuff.

**A Special Thanks To**: Obviously, Taromaru gets a thank you. So does Bryan, but I'd like to thank Yngwie Malmsteen (said as 'Ing Vay' 'Mallmsteen') for kicking ass. I wrote this whole chapter with his music blaring.

**Disclaimer**: No. Sadly, I don't own it yet. I _am _taking contributions towards buying the rights though, heheh. Oh, if only I could buy it… Eh, oh well.

* * *

Sol glanced out the window once more, checking to see if it was _still _raining. The water had been pouring down since late morning, and it showed almost no signs of stopping soon. "Well, Dizzy, it's getting kind of late… I think I'm gonna head off to bed."

Dizzy, who had been dozing off in a rocking chair near the fire, snapped to attention, "O-Oh! Did I nod off? I'm sorry… I just became really tired all of the sudden."

"You'd better get to bed then, Diz." Sol stomped out a cigarette butt and frowned, "Damn… I need to stock up again… I'm down to two packs."

As she began climbing up the steps, she yawned and called over to Sol, "Wouldn't this be a good time for you to start _quitting_? Even though we may be Gears, we're not invincible…"

"Dizzy, back when I was a human, and working with the Gear project, I smoked twice as much as I do now." With a roguish grin, Sol followed her up the steps, "So in a sense, I _am _quitting… gotta do it slowly."

Dizzy, usually never one to be skeptical, looked behind her at the bounty hunter, "And how long did it take for you to cut back?"

Sol tucked his cigarettes into his pocket, with tenderness and care. "Eh, 'bout a hundred and thirty-two years… give or take a few months."

"Why does that not surprise me? If you're going to leave the forest, I think I'll come with you. It might be nice to get out a little bit." Dizzy stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.

"I was plannin' on takin' you anyway. Remember what happened last time we got split up?" Sol stepped into his own room and stretched out his arms.

The blue haired girl stepped back out into the hallway, dressed in her long flannel pajamas as she brushed her teeth. "Yeah, I guess you're right there. I don't want that to happen again…"

Sol rubbed at his eyes and sat down on the edge of his bed. "Well it ain't gonna happen if I'm there to hold 'em off."

Returning into the bathroom, to wash out her mouth with a clean gulp of water, Dizzy reached up into her luxurious, navy hair, and pulled the ribbons from it, allowing it to spill down her back like a waterfall.

Sol took his turn in the bathroom, and simply fell onto his bed, fully dressed, and closed his eyes. 'Long day.'

X—X—X—X—X

Creak… Creak…

Sol's eyes snapped open, and his mind instantly cleared away the grogginess of sleep. His whole body tensed and he quickly but more importantly, stealthily got up, and crept into the hallway.

Each moment passed as though it were an hour, and Sol, careful to not alert the intruder, stole down the hall. Like a diving hawk, he leapt around the corner and dove down the wooden stairs, gripping his blade tightly.

Letting loose a savage battle cry, Sol brought his blade slamming down over the shadowy figure curled up by the fire.

'Hm?' He instantly stopped his blade, so that it hovered only inches away from the prostrate body. As quickly as he snapped the blade down, he pulled it away. "Diz? What the hell're you doin' down here?"

The girl's eyes quickly opened, and she uncurled her body, and sat up like a normal person, with the fire's heat caressing her back. "S-Sol? Oh… I'm sorry… I just came down the stairs a moment ago. My… There was water flooding my room so I sort of wanted to sleep in a warm place…"

"Dizzy… Why didn't you just tell me that your room got messed up? I could've killed you!" Sol frantically looked around for a cigarette, and once he had it in his mouth, he lit it up, allowing the nicotine to calm his nerves.

She remained on the floor, by the cozy fire. "I… I didn't want to bother you, Sol. I didn't want to be a nuisance."

Sol reached out to the girl with his massive hand, "Come on, Dizzy. Let's get you to bed." He helped her off the floor and started up the stairs.

The blue haired girl protested as she followed him up the stairs, "But… My room is all wet and cold! Where am I going to sleep?"

"Don't worry about it. You can crash in my bed tonight. We can deal with your room in the morning." Sol ushered her into his room, which was, obviously, quite warm.

Standing indecisively at the threshold of the man's room, Dizzy shifted back and forth, trying to determine whether or not she should go in.

"You can sleep there, Diz." Sol pointed to his bed, and simply lay out on the floor. Using his arm as a pillow, he closed his eyes and continued to puff at his cigarette.

Dizzy, clad in her pajamas, slowly made her way over to Sol's bed, and sat down on it. 'I guess… I guess I should get some sleep.' The girl walked over to her friend and laid her hand on his shoulder, "Thank you… Sol…"

X—X—X—X—X

Ky and Jam sat in a completely white room. It smelled as though it was cleaned with bleach, for the smell was still lingering around.

"Is this him?" A man dressed in the regular uniform of a police officer turned the computer screen towards Ky and his wife.

"Hmm… Let me see this computer." Ky quickly slid the laptop over, and began to fiddle with the keys.

Jam looked on with mild interest as the would-be assassin of Ky Kiske showed up on the screen.

"That is as best as I can manage." Ky slid the machine back to the owner, and nodded, "Yes, that is the closest rendition of the man that I could possibly come up with."

"Thank you, sir… and ma'am!" He bowed his head for a moment before he left the pristine room with the computer safely tucked under his arm.

"Ky…?" Jam fixed her hair and held on to Ky's hand, "Are we ever going to have time for ourselves?" The woman grinned and squeezed his hand, "If it's not some sort of otherworldly force, it's gotta be the _media_ of all things."

The man stood up, and helped his wife to her feet, "I think that we deserve a nice day off today, don't you? Let's just go out and have a pleasant day on the town." He strapped his long and polished blade to his belt, and left the room, with his arm hooked on Jam's.

X—X—X—X—X

"Elise… Not now… come on, I don't wanna wake up yet…" Jay rolled over onto his stomach, and buried his face in the pillow.

"Come on, Jay… It's already noon. You should at least get up now." Elise flicked on the light switch, allowing the fluorescent lights above him to harshly dig into his bare back.

He sat up like a zombie and blinked a few times, "_Why _did you wake me up this early? What was the point? Come on, Elise… I just wanted a little more sleep."

The girl pulled out a large piece of paper, and showed it to him, "This is the biggest reason, Jay. Look familiar?"

"Sweet… You got somebody to draw my portrait. Now lemme go back to sleep!" The man threw himself back down on his bed and closed his eyes.

Moments passed, and neither of the two moved.

"Oh shit…" Jay Derakh opened his eyes and shot out of bed, "A Wanted poster! Damn it… Bounty Hunters will be crawling all over the place…"

Throwing on a shirt, the man hugged Elise tightly, "I'm going to have to leave you for a while, Elise… I don't want you to be in danger. I'm going to go and get rid of all those posters."

"But… Jay… You'd be in danger!" The girl tried her hardest to keep him in a hug, and keep him close to her.

Opening the front door, he grinned back at her, "Heh, don't worry about me. The danger just makes it more fun."

As he was stepping out, he called back to her, "Elise… I won't be a murderer…"

X—X—X—X—X

Sol shelled out money as he took hold of a massive stack of cigarette cartons, "This oughta last me a month…"

Dizzy rolled her eyes as she read through a magazine. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at the man on one of the pages, 'This man… I know this man… and that lady… I know her as well… Who are they?'

Sol, smoking a cigarette, like usual, heard a man outside yell at him, "Sol! What are you doing!"

"Why the hell do _you_ have to be here?" Sol grimaced as he stomped out the cigarette. He readied his sword, and began to smoke _another _cancer stick.

X—X—X—X—X

Dressed in his usual attire, Slayer slowly walked through the corridors of the dank castle. Stopping abruptly, he called out into the darkness, "I see that you have come here. That is what we call trespassing, is it not?"

Two dozen figures darted out and surrounded Slayer. Their dark clothes did nothing to hide them from the keen eyes of the Nightwalker.

"If you will show yourselves out, I would be much obliged. My wife Sharon and I have things to attend to." Slayer continued to walk down the corridor, without even acknowledging the twenty-four men following him.

Suddenly, they all struck towards him, in a pitiful attempt to harm the Ancient One.

Ducking under the myriad of fists coming towards him, Slayer shot his own hand out, ripping straight through the body of one of the men. "That was not an intelligent idea."

Slipping under another's guard, Slayer launched a vicious uppercut, ripping the man's head off completely. He threw the bloody head into a third man, to use as a distraction. The Ancient Vampire slid under his legs and completely ripped him in half.

The human forces were quickly being decimated by the savage fury of Slayer. One man attempted to strike the vampire from behind, but his hand was ripped off, and his throat was pulled out.

Spinning around, the man unleashed such a furious kick that it slashed completely through five whole people. Said kick was followed up by a brutal heel drop, which caved in the skull of an unfortunate victim. Blowing smoke, Slayer covered the whole area with a thick fog, as befuddling the senses of his foes.

Melting in and out of the smoke, Slayer snapped the neck of one man, completely twisting the vertebrae of the man. A second man, seeing his comrade die, charged towards Slayer, only to be received by a quick knee to the throat, crushing his windpipe.

The two dozen men had quickly dwindled to only one dozen in a matter of minutes.

Agonized screams echoed within the passageway while blood splattered against the walls and ground, giving everything an even more disturbing appearance.

Gripping two men by the necks, Slayer threw one of them against the wall, covering it in a new coat of 'paint'. The second one was forcibly smashed into the wall, as Slayer caved the man's head in against the bricks.

With an upturned palm, the vampire kicked off of the walls, propelling himself through the air. That palm completely separated the cranium from the mandible of another man. Left with nothing but a jaw, the dead man fell to the floor in a fountain of blood.

Slayer gripped the wrist of one of the nine soldiers left, and twisted his whole arm off. The man was beaten to death with his own arm and left on the ground as though he were a worm.

Throwing his cloak over four soldiers that had decided to stick together, Slayer twisted the end, making the piece of cloth contort and compact, mashing the soldiers into a pulp.

He flicked the blood from his cloak and placed it back over his shoulder. The vampire crouched down, and catapulted himself at three soldiers, with his fist out in front of him, acting as an emissary of their deaths. It completely ripped through them, leaving naught but torsos laying around on the ground.

Slayer readjusted his tie and continued to walk down the passage, "It looks like I will be dead on time."

Whipping around, wings sprouted from his back, and he shot towards the very last man. Opening his mouth, the man could see the gleaming fangs that would end his life. Blood dripped to the ground slowly as Slayer walked away.

He wiped the blood from his lips and sighed, "You should have just left."

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Yep… I finally finished. I hope you liked the last scene especially. I named the chapter after it. I figured that you'd want a little bit of ultra-violent action (Slayer beat the living crap out of them, didn't he!).

**Bonus**: Who is Sol talking to? This is SIMPLE! I just couldn't think of a better question.


	13. Neutral Ground

**Foreword**: SORRY! I was in a horrible rut of writer's block, and I was working on a different story. Thank you for being patient with me, everyone.

**A Special Thanks To**: Taromaru, like always, gets most of the credit for inspiring this story in general. I'd like to thank Bryan, as well, for helping me out of my rut. There's another thanks that goes out to Criss Angel, not only for being an amazing illusionist, but also for his music. Yes, I like industrial/metal stuff.

**Disclaimer**: I'm a poor kid and don't own Guilty Gear, only my writing, however pitiful it may be.

* * *

Dizzy snapped her fingers and put the magazine back on the rack. "That's where I know them from! You're Ky Kiske and Jam Kuradoberi, right?"

"Miss Dizzy? Sol, I can't believe you've captured Miss Dizzy! There is no bounty on her, so let her go, or else I'll be forced to take you into custody!" Ky brandished Thunderseal and pointed it at the tall bounty hunter.

Like always, Sol was still puffing away at his cigarettes, pounding away one after another in an inhuman amount of time. "Listen up, you righteous bastard, Diz-"

A squeal pierced the air as Jam ran over and hugged Dizzy tightly, "Dizzy! Oh my God, I haven't seen you since… hm, maybe a year, year and a half ago! You just have to see my restaurant! It's doing so well! And it's all thanks to _you_,Dizzy! The bounty money really helped me get on my feet."

The two men, who were previously at each other's throats, could only look on in amazement as their women chattered about random and also quite useless things.

"Women…" Sol muttered to Ky, who nodded in agreement.

Both let out a little shout and jumped back from each other, baring their swords at one another. They had _finally _realized that they were standing next to each other.

"Kidnapping is a felony! I must bring you to justice!" The white knight lashed out with his blade, bringing it down over Sol, who lazily blocked it.

He spat out his cigarette and stomped on it, "Damn, not even lettin' a guy finish a cig, are you?" He rushed forward and raised his left arm, bringing it down across his chest, faking a punch. Sol used his momentum to continue the spin, and as he was coming back around from the turn, planted his boot into Ky's sternum, knocking the wind out of the Holy Knight.

Stumbling back, the blonde swordsman crashed into a wooden bench. The timbers groaned and creaked in censure to the weight. Ky leaned back in the seat and pulled his knees close to his chest. As Sol tried to bear down upon him with his rectangular blade, Ky received the taller man on his feet. Exerting all his strength through his legs, Ky flung the bounty hunter off of him. With one final leap, Ky was on top of him, with the tip of his sword placed at the throat of Sol.

Sol jabbed his own sword into the ribs of Ky, making sure that the knight knew where the blade was. Letting out a feral growl, the original Gear clamped down on his former ally's throat. Madness shown in his eyes as hatred began to work its way through him. The blazing fire began to swell up from deep within him and he could feel the burning inferno surging into his hands, and lacing his fingers.

Ky, choking and coughing, tried his best to fight for each and every breath. He could feel the warmth in Sol's hands mounting, and could feel the searing progression it was making. In that instant, he knew that he had to finish the thrust that he had prolonged. With all of his strength, he reared his blade back once more and began to bring it down into Sol's throat.

"Both of you! Please stop this!" Dizzy, with an arm reaching out to both of them, beseeched that they stop fighting. Her cool blue hair and mahogany eyes accentuated the sincere look of concern on her face as she tried to get them to stop. "Please! I'm begging you!"

Jam rolled her eyes and gently placed her hand on Dizzy on the back. "If you want to get anything done, you gotta do it like this." She took a few steps towards the two men grappling on the floor. She easily yanked the stunned men apart, and pulled Ky away in a deadly bear hug. "Now, now, Ky, darling… What would the media say?"

The blonde swordsman whined to his wife, as he could do nothing else, "But Jam…! He's kidnapped Miss Dizzy! I can't just let a criminal get away!" Held in her arms, he still glared over at Sol, who simply brushed himself off.

As always, Sol light up another cigarette, and rapidly puffed at it, sending streams of blue-grey smoke into the afternoon air. The bounty hunter chuckled as he watched Ky being controlled by the Chinese girl. "He can fight in a damn war, but can't even keep his broad at bay."

Dizzy elbowed Sol in the ribs and looked at the two with a warm light in her eyes. "Can't you see that they're in love? You can tell just by the way they look at each other… They have something special together. Those two can really spend a lifetime together."

"Heh, now _that's _what I call bein' a voluntary prisoner. Hah, what a wuss." The brawny man continued to laugh and smoke his cigarette as he watched the couple before him.

With earnest curiosity, the blue haired, half-Gear asked, "But… Isn't that the same as us living together?" Everything was so confusing to her. It was like a foreign language. Dizzy knew how she felt about Sol, but did he truly think love was a jail?

"Er… Uh… Ah, it's different! We ain't… er… Just, never mind, Dizzy. It's friggin' hilarious to see him get manhandled." The man stomped out a cigarette and simultaneously lit another one.

Jam completely let go of Ky and let out a squeal of delight once more. "Ooh! Dizzy! Dizzy! You're living with _Sol!_" She quickly ran over and wrapped an arm around the ex-pirate. She glanced around and whispered, "So… Between us women, is he a good kisser! How is he in be-"

"J-Jam! I… I wouldn't know!" Furiously blushing, the girl replied back in a forced whisper, "W-We're just friends!"

Meanwhile, Ky simply sat on the ground trying to process everything. Slowly, but very surely, the information pieced itself together. With a grin stretching from ear to ear, Ky curled up on the ground, in convulsions of laughter. "Oh, my Lord! Hahaha! Sol is _living with Dizzy_!" It seems that even the most serious of people could laugh… This was definitely an understandable lapse in the usual Kiske-an Attitude. The same gruff, coarse, blunt, bounty hunter with a smoking problem was actually _sharing _something with somebody?

"Shut your trap, or I'll rip your tongue out an' smash your face in!" Sol moodily folded his arms and took a long drag on his cigarette. "It's… er… It's a good arrangement," he growled at he amused police officer, his knuckles white and clenched in rage. His left hand dangled limply at his side, and his fingers were clenched into a claw-like appearance. Molten fire swirled around his palm and fingers, drooling onto the ground. The fire, born of his rage, dripped to the cobblestone sidewalk, forming a blazing puddle of molten flames.

Dizzy, seeing his aggravation, placed her hand onto his shoulder, feeling the heat emanating from his body. Her cool palm immediately sent a wave of brief tranquility through her friend's body. "Sol…? Please… calm down…" she said softly, almost whispering to him.

"Geh…" Sol jammed his blade into the ground, and let out an exasperated sigh. "Whatever…" He folded his arms and took a huge puff off of his cigarette, smoking it to the very butt. The tall, dark man fired up another cylinder of nicotine, and continued to smoke, blatantly in a foul mood.

Jam bowed deeply to Dizzy and snapped her fingers. "Ooh! I know!" she exclaimed, "You two should come and have lunch at my restaurant! After all, I owe it to you, you know?" She jabbed Ky in the side to silence his oncoming protests. "And I don't want to hear _anything _about it," she said, glaring at her husband fiercely.

"But I…" The blonde man hesitantly nodded and shrugged in resignation. "Alright… If… If you believe it is all right, I respect your choice." He sheathed Thunderseal and folded his arms.

Sol turned around and started to walk away from the married couple, saying, "Ain't goin'. I ain't sittin' down with that _moron_ an' eatin'. Can't stand to be around him, more or less sit 'own with him."

"W-Wait, S-Sol!" Dizzy turned and called out to him. The girl turned back to the couple and quickly said, "We'll be there! I just… I just need to convince Sol. It's over on Cobain Boulevard, right?" As Jam nodded, Dizzy ran off and caught up to her friend. The pleading and sad look in her eyes was directed to the bounty hunter. She got in front of him and pleaded with him, "Sol… That… That wasn't a very nice thing to do… Why don't we just go?"

"Ain't gonna do it… I can't stand that self-righteous Boy Scout." He would've continued to walk, but Dizzy, the only one close to him, was blocking his path. It seemed that she wasn't going to budge on this matter.

Dizzy, ever so sweetly, said, "Please, Sol… I really want to go. Won't you do this for _me?_ I'm sure that those two would really appreciate it if you came along too…" There was something irresistible in her voice. Her alluring speech would instantly sway the opinion of the gruff Gear. She wasn't even aware of the power she held over him.

He snarled in frustration, "Ergh… Jesus, you're not gonna let up, are you? The hell do I have to go for?" Sol spat out the butt of his cigarette, and reached for another one, only to find that he had already finished his first pack of the day. Adding to his frustration, he had to set down the multiple cartons that he had under his arm, just so he could open one to get another pack.

The blue haired, half-Gear, smiled even more sweetly. "This is why." Quickly snatching all of his precious cancer sticks, she dashed away, leaving Sol completely stunned. 'Oh my! Why did I do such a thing?' Dizzy thought to herself as she continued her frantic dash.

Sol buried his face in his hands and growled in sheer annoyance, "Oh, _hell _no… This day just keeps sucking more and more." He looked up and watched Dizzy running, "Guess I gotta go now… Besides… if Dizzy took this big of a chance… I _can't _let her down."

X—X—X—X—X

"Wow, Dizzy… I didn't peg you for a smoker, y'know? That's one of the last things I'd think you'd do." Jam gaped in astonishment as she saw Dizzy's arms laden with a myriad of cartons of cigarettes.

Blushing furiously, the winged half-Gear managed to stammer out, "Th-They're n-not mi… mine."

Ky, relaxing in a chair at one of the tables, scowled and grumbled, "They're Sol's…"

Jam walked over to her husband and folded her arms across her chest, staring at him skeptically and disappointedly, "Since when did my sunshine turn into a rain cloud?" She bent down, kissed him on the forehead and whispered, "Come on, Ky… You said yourself that you shouldn't really be fighting Sol… Remember? We talked about this… I know you can be a bigger man than this…" She winked and said, "What would Jesus do?"

"But I…" Ky slowly felt his lips turn up into a warm smile. "You know you're right…"

"Aren't I always?" Jam turned back around, to see Dizzy depositing all the cartons onto the floor.

"Diz? Hey, Diz, you in here? Where are my friggin' cigarettes?" Sol's voice rang out in the lobby. Surprisingly, he didn't seem angry in any way. He was outwardly calm.

"Sir! Uh, Sir! I'm sorry, but we do not allow headwear in this establishment… You'll have to take off your headband." The other voice must have been some unfortunate waiter, or perhaps the greeter.

"No." Sol began heading up the stairs, as the trio in the room could hear his heavy boots falling on each step.

"B-But, Sir!"

"No!"

"Our owner is very specific about the dre-"

"Goddamn, you're annoying! Shut up, will you? I was invited here by her and her nutcase husband." Sol continued up the steps and called back at the man, "I ain't too happy right now, and I got no problem comin' down there and kickin' your ass."

"N-Nutcase? I wouldn't say such things about General Kiske! He was the most decorated man to have come out of The War!" The man's voice sounded mortified. It was as if somebody had insulted his personal hero.

"And yet he's still a wuss."

Ky visibly twitched at that comment. "Come as you are… Sol… I don't care… I'm not going to be provoked into anything."

Dizzy bit her lower lip, and thought to herself, 'Why do Sol and Mr. Ky have to fight each other? They're both such nice people… At least… At least Jam is keeping Mr. Ky under control… I wish I could just get Sol to be nicer…'

The knight lazily looked around the cozy room, noting the other customers with a nod of recognition. It was apparent that the regulars were in. Ky glanced at his menu, which was resting on the table, and looked up to his wife. "So, Jam… What's today's special?"

"Hmm… Lemme think… Oh! Today's the Wishkah Stew. It's really good. We get the Wishkah root from some place in America, I think… Huh, oh well. I highly recommend it." Jam smiled at Ky and picked up his menu, sticking her tongue out at him, "You won't need this, I assume."

The door opened, and a brusque voice sounded out in the room, "I'm here. Cigarettes. I need them. Now."

* * *

**Author's Notes**: That's ri-ight! I'm finally back! Well… I'm working on 3 other works right now, and trying to get two of them done so I can focus on the last one. Once I'm done with that, I'll be plunging into even _more _writing, including one more Guilty Gear story. I'll give details later, heheh. Taromaru won the last bonus, like he usually does.

**Bonus**: Simple. What's the blatant reference to a guitarist here? Name him and his band. I even use two of the names of their songs in it, AND name a _significant _thing in his life…


	14. Crossroads

**Foreword**: Ah… Updated much quicker, wasn't it?

**A Special Thanks To**: Taromaru. You're the reason this expanded from a crappy, little, one chapter piece of garbage, into what you're reading now. Thanks.

**Disclaimer**: Eh… need I say it? I don't own Guilty Gear.

* * *

"Oh…" he sighed blissfully, "Ooh…" He removed both cigarettes from his mouth and blew the smoke into the air in rings, letting them lazily float up into the air. "Now that just wasn't nice, Diz…"

Dizzy shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. What made it so unnerving was his lack of anger, or even annoyance. His reprisal seemed more like one that a parent would give his child, while trying to suppress a smile. "Er… I'm sorry, Sol. I just…"

Ky burst out into laughter as he stared at Sol, "D-Diz! Hahahah! Oh, Lord… Sol, you're a piece of work. Hahaha! You've even got a pet-name for her! Oh, this it too much!" The blonde swordsman cackled in his seat, leaning back ever so slightly.

Dizzy blushed furiously at Ky's words, quietly whispering some words to refute his statements.

"Do I gotta jam my boot down your throat?" Sol growled as he blew a steady stream of smoke into the knight's face.

Ky simply grinned at him and waved the smoke away. "Going after the young ones, aren't you?"

Sol lashed out with his fist, in a blind rage. He was intent upon smashing in Ky's nose, and wiping that smirk off of his face.

Dizzy, though very thin, was quite strong. She simply reached out and placed both hands on Sol's fist, gently rubbing the skin. "Sol…" she whispered, "Please… just try to behave yourself, will you? I mean… It's not a very nice thing to act like this when they've been so nice to us. Just… try to calm down… please."

Glowering, the tall mercenary sat back down and folded his arms, doing his best to ignore the incessant taunting and laughter coming from the blonde swordsman. "God… He's actin' like a damn little kid…"

"Now, now, Ky… Mind your manners, won't you, darling?" Jam said in a sing-song type of voice. Gently prodding the chuckling knight in the sides, she winked at him.

Ky stifled his laughter and settled for an uncharacteristic grin. It was an oddity for Jam to see him smiling so much. Even in her company, the smiles usually tapered off after a few moments, and he would return to whatever he was doing.

She knew he still loved her with all of his being, despite the fact that he didn't always smile. Ky was just a generally solemn person. Smiling was something that just didn't come naturally to him.

Jam, with her chin resting on the back of her hands, stared at her loving husband and had a pensive look on her face, 'How can a man that infuriates him so much make him smile too?'

X—X—X—X—X

"Hm… I see that the danger doesn't frighten you, does it?" A cool voice permeated through the atmosphere, as a sharply dressed man stood, with his arms crossed, against the fence.

Jay did a quick back-flip and pulled himself into a fighting stance. "Who are you! Bounty hunter? No… You're somethin' else… Smell like blood. Vampire?"

"If you wish to speak in the crudest of terms, then yes…" He made a sweeping bow for Jay, and finished, "I am a vampire." He rectified his position and fixed his tie.

"You here to throw down? Try me. I ain't gonna back down." Jay felt his fangs starting to grow slightly, and his fingernails elongate into points. His normally green eyes began to shift colors, changing to a golden hue. This was as far as his body could mutate in the daylight, so he slipped even further into a fighting position.

"On the contrary. I have no interest in fighting you whatsoever. However… I _do _believe that I can point you to a place with people that can help you. I do not mean that they will fight you, but rather that, if you ask for it, you will receive their help." Snapping his fingers, the well-dressed vampire strode down the street, with Jay Derakh following warily.

Stopping by a door, the tall vampire opened it, and bowed to Jay and waved an arm towards the door, signifying that he should enter.

Jay stepped inside, completely on his guard. He looked back at the man and said, "Who should I tell 'em sent me?"

"They refer to me as Slayer."

X—X—X—X—X

"So you guys live out in a forest? That's a little weird…" Jam smiled and snapped her fingers as an idea came to her, "Hey! Why don't you just stay with us for a little while? I mean, we have _plenty _of room. Really, it'd be our pleasure. We'd love to have some guests… And Ky, stop scowling."

Ky immediately let his face relax into a neutral expression, as if he had never been frowning. "Jam… I don't…"

The Chinese chef glanced sidelong at her husband and elbowed him, saying, "As a matter of fact, I _insist_. I _won't_ take no for an answer."

Ky bowed his head in resignation. He would simply have to deal with his wife's plans, and not get into any fights with Sol. 'Heavenly Father… Are you testing my will once again?'

Dizzy dabbed at her mouth with a napkin and timidly said, "Um… I-If it wouldn't be an intrusion… I… I would like that."

"Ain't gonna do it." He put out his cigarette into an ash tray and held the butt in his fingers, examining it offhandedly. Flicking it towards another table, he watched, mildly amused, as it burst into a tiny flame, instantly incinerating what was left of the cigarette. Much to his delight, the patrons at the table he shot it towards were peppered by tiny particles of soot.

"Sol… I… I know that they could protect me, but… I would feel more comfortable if you were with me… I know for _sure _that you'll keep me safe. _Please_, Sol?" Dizzy's mahogany eyes seemed to encompass the man, and he had no choice but to relent in his judgment.

"Fine… besides, I can't let these two wussies guard you all alone. Not strong enough. " Sol grinned mischievously and his smile seemed to highlight the slight fangs that he had. "Don't look so disappointed, Boy Scout. Ain't like you can't take my sword from me. Heh, oops. Forgot."

Ky simply closed his blue-green eyes and slowly exhaled. 'What would Our Lord do? He would not give in to such taunts and gestures… I must resist these affronts.' He calmly blew on his bowl of stew and continued eating his lunch. "I am not disappointed."

_Creak_…A door opened, and closed heavily moments later downstairs. "Hey! Is anybody here? I was s'post to like… ask for help or something like that." An uncannily familiar voice fluttered up the stairs and to the ears of the four at the table. "Hey, man… I'm going up stairs, alrighty?"

After his encounter with Sol, the man downstairs must have simply wanted to avoid a quarrel, and simply allowed the man to pass.

The quick, and light steps of barely made a sound off of the steps.

'That voice… Who is it? I know I've heard it before.' Instinctually, the Holy Knight's hand dropped to the hilt of his electro-charged sword. He carefully watched as Sol sloppily ate his steak. He also watched as the tall, burly mercenary drummed his finger against his plate, sending waves of heat, and showers of sparks onto his plate.

"Don't nobody know how to cook a steak here? Geez… It's supposed to be medium-well!" Sol continued sending blasts of heat towards his food until it was adequately cooked.

A tattered looking man with a scruffy beard and frayed clothing stepped into the room. His long, worn, sleeveless, white coat reached down to his calves, and gently swished in the breeze.

Ky took one glance at the man and gasped, "Oh-"

"Shit!" Jay finished. He quickly glanced around and assessed his situation. He was outnumbered four to one. "You're here! Oh crap… Uh… Any chance we could like… forget the little incident about trying to kill you?" There was no way he could fend off four people at once, and he knew it.

Ky slowly stood up and drew his sword. "You are going to be arrested on a charge of Assaulting an Officer of the Law. Anything you say can, and will be used ag-"

"Will you shut the hell up! I'm trying to eat my goddamn free lunch!" Sol growled at the knight, waving a razor-edged steak knife towards him.

Jay flung his arms up in front of him and quickly stammered, "W-W-Wait up a second, buddy! Just lemme explain here!" As Ky advanced on him, he backed away, still trying to say his piece.

Within seconds, the golden-haired swordsman had Jay handcuffed and subdued on the ground. "Sol, be quiet. I have to read him his rights… You have the right to-"

"You shut up, you French pansy." Sol grumpily washed down his food with a long draft from his beer.

The werewolf sat up against the wall and his eyes shifted back into the golden color of earlier. Using his wolfish strength, he completely ripped the chain between the handcuffs. "Look, man… I was sent here. Some dumb ass in a suit… I was lookin' for help, y'know?"

Sol devoured his meal, and stood up. "Outta the way, wuss," Sol said dismissively, half throwing, half pushing Ky out of his path. "Gotta take a piss. Where's the bathroom?"

Jam jabbed a finger in the direction of a small room neatly labeled "Bathroom". She sighed and shook her head, "Did you even _look _for it?"

"Hm… He could have been more discreet," Dizzy said disapprovingly. She gently stepped over to the sitting man, and knelt down next to him. "Um…"

Ky took a step forward and placed the tip of his sword against Jay's collar bone, "Miss Dizzy, please get away from him. He's a dangerous man."

Sol called out from the bathroom, "Oh shut up, you little French bitch. Diz can handle herself." His voice carried through the room easily, because he hadn't even bothered to shut the door.

Jay looked up at Dizzy, and stared deep into her eyes. 'Hmm… She reminds me of Elise… She looks a lot different, but still… She's got that same innocent look in her eyes.' He slowly brought his arms from around his back and raised them into the air, showing that he meant no harm. "Wait a sec. Before you jump the gun on this one, I was sent here by… oh crap, what's his name? Oh, right, Slayer."

Ky pressed the tip a little closer to his throat and said, "Why would he send you here?"

"The hell should I know? I was minding my own business, taking down those wanted posters you put up, and he just shows up outta nowhere." Jay could feel the pinch of the blade against his throat, and the tiny line of blood trickling down. "He said you could help me with the situation I'm in…"

"So you are here to turn yourself in, then?" Ky's sword eased off of the mercenary a little bit, and he ran his fingers through his own blonde locks of hair.

"Uh… Not quite." The sword was returned to its position against his neck. "Hey, hey! Just lemme explain myself, will you!" Jay closed his glowing golden eyes, and when he opened his eyelids again, the irises had changed to a pure, emerald green.

Ky cautiously removed his sword, and let it dangle at his side, though he could still use it if the situation called for it. "Very well…" he said warily.

"Okay… Well, it goes like this. I was doing some construction work, and like… was attacked by some muggers. They were these three retarded-ass vampires, and uh… I sorta beat the life outta them. Well, they followed me home, and well… I pretty much gotta do whatever they say or else they'll kill my g… a close friend of mine." Jay closed his eyes for a moment. 'We're just friends… just… friends… Elise isn't my girlfriend.'

Ky remained silent, as both Dizzy and Jam let out gasps of exasperation. It was obvious that both of them believed his story. The knight, however, was more inclined to believe that it was simply a falsity.

The trashy looking man opened his eyes and folded his arms along his chest. "See, that was a couple of years ago… Since then, I've been working for these guys, because if I stop… well, you get the picture. I'm pretty high up, you could say… Half met the boss man… If seeing him sit in a chair counts. Couldn't see his face though… hair was in the way."

"Forgive me, but I have a hard time believing your story. Where is the proof?" Ky said, staring directly into the rough-and-tumble man's eyes.

He fished into his pocket, and yanked something out from its messy pockets. "Here…" Jay said, handing a small picture to the officer. "That's uh… That's Elise… She's the one they're going to… y'know."

"He ain't lyin'… Diz knows it too." Sol put an arm loosely around Dizzy.

Dizzy flushed red almost instantly at his touch. 'Oh… Oh my… Sol is…'

Undine slowly appeared, and snaked her way up to the girl's ear, whispering, "Yes… That's right, my dear… You can tell just by the way he acts… He likes you, Dizzy… And I _know _that _you _are in _love_ with him…" The blue, angelic figure winked at Dizzy and giggled, "Think about it."

"Shut up, you watery tart!" Dizzy's other wing, Necro, growled at Undine. "Don't poison Dizzy's mind with such nonsense!"

The blue haired girl shushed her wings, and made them revert back into their normal form. "Please behave, both of you!" she whispered forcefully. She could still feel Sol's arm around her, and almost jumped when she felt his pointer finger caressing the skin of her shoulder.

Sol, unaware of what he was doing to Dizzy, motioned to Jay, and took a long drag on a cigarette that he must have lit up while in the bathroom. "You can tell just by takin' a look at him… He's a sucker for this chick, whoever she is."

"Just like _you_ are a sucker for _Dizzy_?" Ky couldn't resist the urge to burst into laughter and smile broadly.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Well uh… Here you go. Hope you liked it. I hope to update within two weeks. That's my deadline, and I hope I can make it. Okay guys, I need your help! Who else, if anybody, should I include from the Guilty Gear stories in my own little attempt at writing? They wouldn't have a big part if I included them, because, sadly, this story is drawing closer and closer to the end.

**Bonus**: What movie did I take the line "Watery Tart" from? Come on, people… This is basically a hand out.

**Last Bonus**: The last bonus was Kurt Cobain, and his band Nirvana.


	15. Musings

**Foreword**: I had a butt-load of technical difficulties, and it took a while to update. For that, I'm sorry. I really want to apologize, but I can now focus solely on this piece, because I finished the other story I was working on.

**A Special Thanks To**: Taromaru. Thanks for being patient… Sorry I didn't update for a while, but I plan to change that.

**Disclaimer**: Nope. I don't own Guilty Gear.

* * *

In… Out… The quiet breathing of Sol was the only noise in the room. He sat in the window sill, with his head resting on the glass. He glared into the reflective surface, hating its existence.

Clutching his lighter, he stared even harder, as if trying to shatter it from sheer force of will. He pulled his head off of the glass, and let it rest back against the window frame. Readjusting his headband, the burly mercenary frowned, cocking his elbow back.

"Screw it."

X—X—X—X—X

"I am… I _am_." Smiling contently into the mirror, Dizzy set the hair brush down on the vanity, as she sat and took in the look on her face.

"Yes, dear… You really are." Undine rested her hands on Dizzy's shoulders, and gave her a gentle hug.

Flaring up from his spot on her back, Necro waved a fist in the air, and pulled Undine off of the blue haired girl. "No, you're no! Shut up, you rejected snow cone! You've got it ass-backward, Dizzy, lass. You are NOT! You can't "love" a burn out, faux bounty hunter, walking cigarette bastard!"

"_Snow cone?!_ Ex_cuse_ _me?_ This is coming from the bucktoothed grim reaper wannabe? You don't even have a scythe! All you've got is your stupid bow and a few other ineffective weapons!" Undine's vicious riposte was startling to all, including herself. This was the most she had ever been riled by her black counterpart.

"_Ineffective?!_ I don't see your gay, little fish protecting Dizzy!" Necro snorted and took up a mocking tone, "Ooh! Look at me! I'm a useless blue fish that can fly! Fear my dull, rounded teeth!"

"Will yo-"

Dizzy's burgundy eyes were filled with tears. How she hated it when they fought like this… The girl beseeched them, "Both of you! Please stop fighting! I just want some peace and quiet for a while…"

Immediately, the two beings reverted back to their respective wing forms, grumbling all the while, leaving a calm silence in the room. In the wake of the sudden tranquility, Dizzy resumed her preening with the brush, running it through her long, sleek, blue hair.

A strident shattering pierced the air, stunning the preening girl.

Dropping her brush in surprise, Dizzy squeaked, "Ah! What was that?!" She immediately got to her feet, and timidly stepped out into the hallway, trying to pinpoint where the noise had come from.

X—X—X—X—X

The gentle breeze filtered into the room, filling it with cool, crisp air. Sitting in the window sill, with his leg dangling out the window, Sol puffed at his cigarette, letting out a sigh of relief.

"I'll be damned if a freakin' window keeps me from my cigarettes…" He sat silently, puffing away at his cigarette. Taking a single glance over at the door, he noted that it was closed.

After a few moments of pensive silence, Sol pulled off his headband, staring into the carved letters on the red material. Immediately, the pattern on his forehead flared up, emitting a blast of concentrated heat. The symbol began to burn red, as though it was molten lava, and continued releasing heat, which dissipated into the crisp night air.

Scowling, he tossed the butt of his cigarette out of the window, and grabbed a new one. Grunting in discomfort as the symbol blazed, he tapped the cigarette to his forehead, and took a quick pull, igniting the cancerous stick filled with tar, formaldehyde and other hazardous materials.

Long brown locks of hair drooped around Sol's shoulders, as it was not being supported by anything anymore. Rubbing some hair between his fingers he thought to himself, 'Ain't had a haircut since…' His long hair was tousled by the slight breeze, as he sat on the broad window sill.

"Sol, what happened in here? Are you alright?" Dizzy rushed into the room, eagerly looking around for Sol. She was genuinely worried about the gruff, yet caring mercenary.

Immediately, Sol turned his head, and stared at Dizzy, with a look of astonishment in his eyes. He wasn't expecting anybody to barge in on him like that, and, as such, was caught completely off guard. Dizzy gasped as she looked at the burly man. "Y-You're… You're not… a… human?"

The mercenary quickly pulled his headband back on and growled, teeth slightly elongated into fangs, "I am what I am. Ain't no changin' that…" His hair was back and spiked up, the way Dizzy was accustomed to seeing it.

"I…" Dizzy took a few careful, apprehensive steps towards Sol, and folded her hands over her heart. "I don't mind… You're… You're just like me…" She gently reached out and touched his arm, and could feel the heat his skin was giving off.

The slightest touch from Dizzy almost sent Sol into shivers, because of the fact that it felt like her skin was cold as ice water. There was a cool and relaxing factor to her touch that could cool even the searing heat within Sol.

"Yeah…" Sol paused, still staring out the empty window pane, not bother to even glance back at the girl, and he quietly mumbled, "Sorta… It's complicated, though…"

Dizzy, taking a leap of faith, stepped even closer, and wrapped herself around his muscular arm, embracing him in a semi-hug.

The two remained there, motionless, simply content to be exactly where they were.

X—X—X—X—X

Jay looked around with a frown, noting the manacles that were chaining him to the wall. "You know… all of this ain't necessary."

"Safety over comfort, my friend. I'd rather not put my wife, and my guests at risk. After all… wouldn't you be a little bit skeptical if somebody tried to kill you, and then stay in your house?" Ky turned the key with a satisfying click, and tested the chains, to make sure that they were secure.

"Guess you're right…" The ragged-looking, young man lay down on the mattress that had been set up for him, and closed his eyes.

"With that said, I bid thee goodnight." Ky left the room and closed the door behind him, locking it up tightly.

Jay simply stared at the ceiling and sighed, his voice filled with anguish, "Elise… Are you safe? I swear to God… if those dirt bags laid even a finger on you, I'll kill them…"

Closing his eyes, he folded his manacled arms across his chest, in an attempt to get a little bit of rest.

After a few moments of being immobile, Jay let out a massive, heaving sigh. "Ugh… This is going to be a friggin' long-ass night…" Yanking at his chains, once more, he resettled his position, and closed his eyes once again.

X—X—X—X—X

"Well… Night, Diz. I'll see you in the morning, I guess." Sol gave her slender shoulder a firm squeeze and allowed his generally uncaring façade to drop for a moment, as he shot a tiny smile her way.

Dizzy beamed brightly, and threw herself onto Sol, embracing him in the biggest hug she could muster. She had gotten caught up in the moment, and had acted upon her innermost emotions.

Taken aback, Sol was stunned for a few moments, as he felt Dizzy's cool body pressing against his own. Slowly, he wrapped his own arms around her, one around the waist, and the other around her back, allowing his fingers to run through her soft, cerulean hair. 'What are you doing, Sol? You can't get attached. You know you can't!'

With a scowl replacing his smile briefly, he thought to himself cynically, 'Bit too damn late for that, ain't it? I'm waist deep in Diz… She's like quicksand… Pulls you in, and the more you fight it, the more you sink into her…'

Finally, after a few minutes of silent musing, the scowl faded away into an even larger smile. He gave Dizzy another gentle squeeze, and whispered to her, "It's getting' pretty damn late… You might wanna get off to bed now. Goodnight, Diz… See you tomorrow…" He extricated himself from her grasp, smiled at her once again, and ruffled her long, azure hair.

He watched Dizzy turn about and leave, but not before flashing a smile of her own at the American bounty hunter. "Night, Sol… I'll see you in the morning."

Closing the door after she left, Sol locked it tightly, and sat down on his bed. After silently brooding for a few minutes, he tore off his headband, staring at the symbols engraved on the inside, to repress his true nature.

The symbol marking him as a Gear blazed and glowed in the dark room, as though it were a demonic, third eye, set in the middle of his forehead.

He quickly pulled off his shirt, and laid down on the bed, not bothering to cover himself with a blanket, despite the cool air blowing in through the shattered window.

Sol stared intently into the palm of his hand, as he felt the fangs begin to reappear. Slowly, a deep rumbling came from within his body, and a glowing orb of fire was cupped in his hand. His ochre eyes stared absorbedly into the flame, as he became fixated upon it.

The man sighed, and snapped his fingers, watching the flame dissipate into the air. He quickly pulled the headband back onto his forehead, and closed his eyes, preparing to sleep.

'It's all getting to be too much… It's too heavy… I can feel my power being repressed, but it only grows stronger… Pretty soon, something bad's going to happen… All this power… One day, it's just gonna erupt… I sure as hell don't wanna be near nobody, least of all Diz, because I know it'll do some serious damage…' Letting out a heaving sigh, he gently punched the wall.

"Damn… Gotta find a way to take the pressure off… Gotta find a way to release it safely…"

"So I don't do nothin' bad to Diz…"

X—X—X—X—X

"… … … Are you angry with me?"

"No… I'm just tired." Ky leaned his head forward and kissed Jam on the forehead, with a reassuring smile.

Jam bit her lip, and seemed half ready to cry. She drew herself closer to him, and pressed her own body against his. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, love… I can't stay angry with you for more than about five minutes… And I love you…" Ky pulled the covers up over himself some more, as the cool air filtered in from under their door.

The brunette, Chinese chef stammered and tried her best to justify her reasons for inviting their guests to stay with them, "I just… I hadn't seen Dizzy in a long time!"

He smiled at his wife, once more, and gave her a peck on the cheek. "I understand, Jam… Don't worry your pretty little head over it… I'm just… _less than enthusiastic_ that Sol tagged along… I wouldn't mind speaking with Dizzy again, but _Sol_… I could live without that."

"I'm really sorry, you know…"

"I know, Jam… I know." Ky closed his eyes and prepared for his descent into sleep. After a few moments, his eyes shot wide open, and he quickly said, "I love you, Jam… just in case I forgot to say it…"

Chuckling slightly, Jam grinned widely. "You didn't forget, silly…" She paused for a moment, and thought deeply, recounting her day, before saying, "That's probably the eighth time you've told me."

The blonde police officer smiled apologetically and shrugged, saying, "Oh… I'm sorry, then…"

"It doesn't hurt to hear it again though." Jam winked at him, with a droll look on her face, as she snuggled up even closer to her husband.

X—X—X—X—X

Thundering down the stairs, like a herd of stampeding elephants, came Sol Badguy, rested and ready for a hard day's work of doing nothing.

"Good morning!" Jam was certainly a morning person. It's mystifying how a person could be so alert in the morning. Elbowing Ky in his chair, Jam shot him a glare.

"Yes, yes… Good morning, Sol…" Although Ky had said it, the salutation definitely had a distinct lack of enthusiasm on Ky's part. The man simply flipped through the newspaper, without giving Sol another look.

The Chinese chef scowled at her husband for his lack of hospitality, folded her arms. Suddenly, she beamed at Sol, brightly and cheerfully saying, "Would you like something to drink?"

Nodding his head, Sol began to look around the kitchen for something to eat. He simply replied to Jam, by saying, "Yeah. Toss somethin' my way, will you?"

After a few minutes of preparation, Jam gently wrinkled her nose at the delicious smell of the tea, and looked over at Sol. "Here's your tea, Mr. Badguy." Jam seemed to glide across the floor as she delivered the cup to the gruff mercenary.

Fingering the floral patterned teacup with distain, he spat, "You're kiddin', right? Tea's for fags."

Frowning, Ky glowered and set his own cup of tea down.

The American man scratched at his face and yawned, saying, "Gimme a cup of strong coffee."

The Chinese chef turned away, and began fixing him a cup of coffee. Pausing for a moment, she turned and said, "Would you like any sugar or cre-"

Interrupting vehemently, Sol gripped at his head in frustration, "Jesus Christ! I said _strong! _I don't want you wussin' it up for me! I like my coffee _black_, just like my metal! And give me a cup that don't look like Sergeant Fruit Cup over here designed it."

"Sol, I am _not gay_! I'm married, for heaven's sakes!" Ky began the throes of an exasperated tantrum. He sipped at his tea, annoyed at the larger man. "Were I to be homosexual, I would not be in love with such a gorgeous lady such as Jam…" The blonde soldier smiled flirtatiously at his wife, and blew her a kiss.

"Best cover for a gay man is marriage."

"… I hate you."

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Yeah yeah… I'm crappy about updating, sue me. I'll try to be better, now that I've got nothing else on my plate. Since I can just focus on this, I can get this story done. It should be wrapping up here soon… Probably squeeze in a few more chapters. It'll be done before Chapter 20, I can guarantee that.

**Bonus**: The line "I like my coffee black, just like my metal" comes from what song?

**Last Bonus**: Yep… Monty Python's The Holy Grail.


	16. The Herald to Darkness

**Foreword**: I know… I'm a bastard. I should've updated much earlier, but I just couldn't… Too much happening, sorry guys. Anyway… Welcome to the beginning of the end! The action is going to pick up insanely. I promise you more fights from Slayer, Sol, Ky, Jay, and even Jam and Dizzy. Hope you enjoy!

**A Special Thanks To**: Taromaru, like always. He's the main reason for me writing this, and also, his encouragement is what keeps me going through it all, just as all of your comments do. He's also the one that inspired me to involve some romance with Dizzy and Sol… I've always liked the pairing, but he's the reason I did it! And Butt Goblin! That dude is like… Liquid Badass. He got the last bonus correct! Awesome work!

**Disclaimer**: I am a poor person. I do not own Guilty Gear, or any of the characters present, except for any original characters… which I would waive the right to, if the producers of Guilty Gear asked to buy them… Such a nice day it would be. ANYWAY! I don't own Guilty Gear, so don't sue me.

* * *

"Heh, you ain't allowed to hate. Says so in your precious book of bullshit…" Sol smirked into his coffee, and began chugging it, as though the scalding liquid was only at room temperature.

"The Holy Bible is _not_ _bullshit_!" Ky shouted, standing up from his chair. He immediately blushed as everyone stared at him, and sat back down, mumbling, "It is _not _a fraudulent document…"

Sol grinned insolently at the blonde crusader, saying, "Whoa there, girl scout. Don't get your Wonder Woman panties in a knot."

"Mm… Mr. Sol, please stop goading him… It's too early to have any fighting…" Dizzy lightly stepped down the stairs, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Dressed in long, sleep attire, she let out a large yawn. "Goodness!" The young woman quickly covered her mouth and blushed. "I… I'm sorry."

"Not a problem, Diz. Go on, sit down, will you?" Sol's eyes seemed to shine with a little light, as he took in the sight of Dizzy standing there.

Blushing again, Dizzy quietly said, "Um… I need to excuse myself, for a short time, if that's alright." The blue haired girl about-faced and briskly walked away.

Leaning back in his chair, the burly mercenary grinned, and put his hands behind his head, saying, "Ooh, man… Ain't that like a drink of cool water?"

"The Lord says, 'The Scriptures doth say "Thou shalt not commit adultery." But Amen, I say unto you, do not even look upon a woman with lust in your heart.' Did you catch all that Sol?" The knight grinned at his chance to turn the tables on the mercenary, and said, "Or were you too busy checking out Miss Dizzy's… _assets_."

Sol glared at the man, and growled, with a deep rumbling emitting from his throat. He leaned his head back, then shot it forward, as a projectile of saliva and mucus landed directly into Ky's tea. "You were sayin'?" With an audacious smirk, the larger man folded his arms and finished drinking his coffee.

Stunned, Ky babbled incomprehensibly, gaping at both Sol and his precious tea.

Letting out a heaving sigh, Jam calmly took Ky's cup and dumped it out in the sink, before filling him up a new mug of tea.

X—X—X—X—X

"Why… Why was Sol looking at me like that? Does he feel as I do? Does he have the same feelings?" Dizzy frowned into the mirror, brushing her hair once more. The cerulean haired girl set down the brush, and stared pointedly into the mirror.

After a few moments, her frowning façade was cracked by a glorious and radiant smile. As her mind changed to thoughts of Sol Badguy, the man that she had fallen in love with, her black tail began to gently wag, tapping between her ankles. Becoming rose red, Dizzy quickly forced her tail to stop, by taking it in her hands.

The girl fondly stared at her extraneous appendage, and smiled. Searching about amongst her things, the young woman found a very plain, but, in her opinion, very pretty, yellow bow. Dizzy gently fastened it to her tail, with a faint smile.

The young woman gave her tail an experimental wag, and stared lovingly at the strip of cloth fastened to her lower extremity. "Now… um… Now that I'm dressed, perhaps I should go back downstairs, and meet the others for breakfast…"

Exiting her room, and closing the heavy, oaken door behind her, Dizzy began her descent down the gradually spiraling staircase. 'I… I saw how he was looking at me… But… why does he do it? Does he…?'

The girl paused for a moment, nervously brushing her hair, with her fingers. She finally had enough guts to finish the thought, completing it by mentally saying, 'Does he… feel like I do?'

With a bright and beaming smile, the girl continued her way down the stairs, making her way towards her close friend, and primary romantic interest, Sol Badguy.

X—X—X—X—X

"And now…" Pale hands were raised up to the skies, casting great shadows over his eyes. His clawed fingers seemed to wrap around the sun, and his icy, raspy voice rang out through the area. "Plunge into darkness. Smother the light. Seal up the sun, and unleash the pent up fury…"

As soon as the last words were said, an infernal shadow began to slither its way around the blazing ball of gaseous energy known as the Sun.

X—X—X—X—X

"Hm… It is beginning… But you already knew that, didn't you, Sharon?" Slayer sipped at his wine, and stared into the calm, quiet fire, with his crimson cloak sprawled over his body. Slayer took a deliberate puff on his tobacco pipe, and blew the smoke towards the chimney.

Sharon, clad in a low cut dress of red silk, looked up from the pages of her book, to say, "I did… Although, I do not understand why you are helping the humans again… They seem more than capable of handling themselves." She watched as her husband stood up, with his glass of wine, and readjusted his cloak about his body. "I assume that you aren't going to be back in time for dinner…"

The enigmatic vampire stepped through his cloak, while he finished his wine. "I do believe that is an accurate statement, my Sharon." With one more step, he was gone from the room.

Sharon looked back down at the pages of her book, and continued to read. Simultaneously, she lifted a hand into the air, and caught the wine glass that Slayer had tossed back through the portal in his cloak. Still not looking up, the woman, touched the glass to her own lips, and savored the last droplets of wine.

X—X—X—X—X

Dizzy stared out of the window, towards the sun, which was being engulfed by shadowy wisps of _something_. Fear gripped at her heart, with its icy fingers chilling the very blood flowing in her veins.

A loud crack sounded out in the atmosphere, and everything became dark, as the sun was blotted out.

Immediately, Dizzy placed a hand over the right side of her pelvis, where her engraved marking, signifying her as a Gear, was placed. It began emanating a chilling cold so harsh that it even made the Human-Gear Hybrid wince in pain.

The overwhelming pain forced her to her knees as well, causing her to whimper gently, because of the severity of the pain.

The last thing she remembered was another loud noise and feeling somebody grab her roughly, not to mention screaming at the top of her lungs.

X—X—X—X—X

As soon as Sol heard the shattering sound from up stairs, he bounded out of his chair, and leapt over the table, scaling the stairs in merely a few steps. He saw Dizzy on the ground, and dove on top of her, grabbing her roughly, pulling her away from the window.

Another harsh gust of wind catapulted multiple shards of razor edged glass into the pair.

Using the bulk of his body, Sol embraced the girl tightly, shielding her from the assault of the glass splinters. Despite Dizzy's frantic screaming, Sol still kept his wits about him, ready to fend off any attacks that could possibly come.

'No way the wind could just shatter glass like that… Somethin' must've done it…' Sol gently squeezed Dizzy's arm, and whispered, "Will ya quit with the screamin'? Are you tryin' to blow my damn ears out?"

Immediately, Dizzy began to calm down, at the curiously soothing tone in Sol's voice. Normally, she'd have found it exceedingly hilarious, but at that very moment, it just seemed perfectly pertinent. "… Sol?" the girl whispered, as if afraid to raise her voice in the slightest, lest something evil befall them. "Does it hurt you too?"

He remained silent for a moment, before registering that the blue haired girl was speaking of the Mark of the Gear. "… I'm used to it by now… Somethin's up…"

The two remained on the floor, Sol covering Dizzy with his body, so as to keep her safe. Minutes dragged on, like the tired trudging of a man with lead shoes.

"Do… Do you think it's safe to get up?"

Instead of answering, Sol simply stood, and offered a hand to the girl.

X—X—X—X—X

Sparkling golden irises darted about the room, taking in every single detail. Firmly seated against the wall, Jay sniffed the air, noting the changes in temperature and humidity.

The young man noted his prominently wolfish features, and heightened senses, whispering to himself, "No… It can't still be night…" The pointed ears perched upon the sides of his head twitched a little bit, as the creak of the door alerted him to the presence of another being.

Though the person hadn't stepped into the room yet, Jay could smell the distinct, coppery scent of blood, and it was strongly emanating from behind the door. "You…" he growled, a deep rumbling sounding from within his throat.

The door finally slid open completely, although the details of the figure were completely shrouded in darkness.

"I hope you're not tryin' to hide, you bastard… I can see you perfectly." Jay's golden irises thinned out, and his pupils grew larger, and they focused on the man. The keen eyesight of the werewolf wasn't even affected by the darkness.

"Quite the contrary. I _wanted _you to see me." Pearly white fangs glinted in the dim atmosphere, and he tossed a picture towards Jay. "Use your eyesight to see _this_."

As soon as Jay's eyes caught sight of the tied up and bloody girl in the photograph, Jay immediately had a sinking feeling deep within the pit of his stomach. 'Elise…' Rage instantly overcame him, and he launched all of his weight towards the vampire known as "Savage".

The tall, human-shaped creature didn't even flinch in the tiniest version of the word, as the cell dwelling werewolf closed in.

The clink of chains rang out in the shadowy room, with Jay's face only inches away from the vampire's. The thick, secure chains held him back, keeping the werewolf from his bloodlust. "Damn it!"

"Perhaps I shall see you again… if you're ever unchained… You know where to seek us out…" The vampire caressed Jay's cheek, and patted him upon the head, saying, "Now be a good puppy, and _go to sleep!_" A swift blow to the throat sent the mercenary sprawling to the floor, seemingly unconscious.

X—X—X—X—X

"Hey… Hey! Wake up!" Ky gently shook the prostrate mercenary awake, And knelt near to him. The officer gently unlocked, and pulled the manacles and chains off of Jay's body, and observed the man carefully.

The werewolf sat up rigidly, his whole body heaving with each breath. It seemed as though he was finally allowed to breathe, after a long period of time. Deep inside his throat, a rumbling growl rang out with his breathing. "Elise…"

Picking up the discarded photo on the floor, Ky examined it, using the light from the hallway. "This… Is this your friend?"

"I'm going to kill them… If they hurt her at all, they'll wish they never _screwed_ with _me_…" Jay stood up slowly, taking very deliberate steps towards the door.

Ky placed a hand on the mercenary's shoulder, saying, "Calm down… You'll hyperventilate. Now… If you'd just hang on for a moment, and let me get ready, I'll go with you… It's always good to have an ally… And the last thing I'd ever want is for my wife to be taken from me."

Jay stopped, turning at the waist, and stared at Ky, stammering, "S-She's not my wife!"

"Girlfriend, wife, they're close enough." Ky led the way out of the dark room, into the hallway, leaving an astounded Jay behind.

"E-Elise isn't my girlfriend! Hey!"

Ky simply smiled, thinking, 'If she isn't _now_, she _will_ _be_ soon enough.'

X—X—X—X—X

Ky looked at his wife, as he sheathed his sword, Thunderseal, at his side. "We're… Well, Jay and I are going to go help somebody… Somebody important to him… So, do you think you could stay here and look over our guests?"

Jam frowned, and made the best pouting face she could muster. "But _Ky!_ I worry about you when you're leave like this…" Seeing that she was making no progress, as his face seemed set in stone, just as his mind, the woman wrapped an arm around him, and whispered, "You _know_ I'm going to come anyway, right? I can really help, Ky… You seem to forget that I _am _capable of handling myself sometimes."

Blushing at his forgetfulness, he sighed in defeat, "Very well… But… Who will serve our guests?"

Dizzy, who had remained silent and withdrawn, and also _extremely _close to Sol, finally spoke up, saying, "Um… If… if it's alright, I think… I think I can help too."

"But… Why? I know that you aren't the biggest fan of fighting out there." Ky shot a deliberate glare at Sol with the last words, but his eyes softened once he looked back at Dizzy.

Placing her hands over her heart, Dizzy gradually said, "Something… Something inside me tells me that I should do my best to help. I don't know why, but… that's what I feel."

Nodding with understanding, Ky shrugged, saying, "Better an army than a single soldier."

Sol shook his head and puffed away at his cigarette. "Don't like this, Dizzy… Shouldn't be going out of your way to put yourself into danger like this."

"_Sol_…"

"What?"

"… We're going."

Genuinely surprised that Dizzy was being so commanding, Sol simply nodded. 'Heh… I _like _it when she talks like that… As long as she don't get _too_ pushy…' Sol grumbled a flimsy justification for his reasoning., "I guess _somebody's _gotta make sure that you're safe, Diz… and we can't leave Officer Doughnut in charge."

Ky completely ignored the last statement, intent upon keeping his cool, and not starting a fight with Sol. "Well, that's settled… Now… As for our tactical approach-"

"Shut up. You always overcomplicate things… Not surprising, considerin' that you're a damn poodle-loving, tea-sucking, French pansy." Sol punched a fist into his open palm, and cracked his knuckles, readying himself, mentally, for battle. "Here's the _real _plan, despite any bitchin' from Boy Scout over there. Blitz. Just like football."

Ky interjected in a matter-of-factly voice, obviously amused at how little the gruff man knew of European Football, "Sol, there is not any "blitzing" in football."

"Not in your continent's wussy-ass sport. I'm talkin' about _American _football, the only kind that _matters_! You see somebody, and you freakin' crush 'em!" Sol held onto his sword tightly, and watched everybody walk towards the door, with determined looks on their faces.

Jay hadn't said a single word the whole time. Though his visage held a mask of complete composition, his eyes still shone with madness and sheer rage.

Smirking, Sol placed one of his burly arms around Dizzy, saying, "You stay close to me, Diz… I'll make sure you're safe."

Dizzy stared down at the floor for a moment, then suddenly said, "… Sol… Do you like me?"

"'Course I do. You'd _know _if I didn't." Smirking once again, Sol gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. 'I like you more than you know, Diz… More than you know.'

One by one, the group filed out of the house, with Jay as the vanguard. He knew exactly where they were going, and he knew exactly what he was going to do with those who had captured Elise.

"I have my own personal qualms with the people that you seek… I believe I shall accompany you as well." A calm, suave, and poised man stepped out from the shadows, and followed the group. Though everybody was surprised to see Slayer, the group simply acknowledged him. At this point, they'd need all the help they could get.

Slayer's velvety voice smoothly slid into the ears of the party, and he said, "As much as I relish the gift of manual mobility, I believe time is of the essence… and this is much faster." Before anybody could move, they felt a tingling sensation envelope them, and heard the rustle of cloth.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: And there you have it… Probably two or three more chapters and it's a wrap. Hope you enjoyed it! Well, I made this a much longer chapter, but I'm not sure if it'll stay this way… Who knows. I know that Slayer's entrance was REALLY forced, but at this point, I just couldn't think of a good way to work him in, and get everybody where they needed to be, so I killed one bird with two stones… Not the opposite. I like overkill, hahaha. Anyway, after I finish this story, I will begin another Guilty Gear story. I'll give you guys a bit of a summary, and perhaps a sample once this story is finished. Hope you won't be disappointed. Next chapter, the fighting begins!

**Bonus**: I made a reference to a band in this chapter (Don't I always, haha). The band is called Celldweller (great, if you're into darker sounding rock music). Tell me who the front man is. He also does all of the work for this band in the studio.

**Last Bonus**: It comes from the song "Shut Me Up" by Mindless Self Indulgence.


	17. Waking The Fallen

**Foreword**: Well, I promised violence, and you'll get it… indefinitely. ALSO, if you can't handle harsh language, um… don't read. Sol, and Jay as well, say a few words that are very explicit in nature.

**A Special Thanks To**: All my reviewers, especially (you guessed it!) Taromaru! Butt-Goblin also gets a special shout out, for being a great random trivia answerer person guy.

**Disclaimer**: I uh… I don't own Guilty Gear, or its characters. I do, however, own any original characters. Honestly, I think I'd be flattered if anybody actually _wanted _to use my characters.

* * *

"I believe that we are here." Slayer slung his cloak back over his shoulder, and puffed at his pipe once more. 

The sextet looked around cautiously, trying to get a bearing upon where they were. Jay immediately stepped forward, and stared balefully at the large gates of the dark, foreboding castle. "I guess I gotta _knock harder!_" Running at full speed, Jay catapulted himself into the gates, splintering wood, and breaking metal.

"Heh, nice work…" Sol muttered, as he watched the gates crumble to the ground.

Immediately, hundreds of human-like creatures swarmed the group, surrounding them.

"I can smell the blood on them… Damn vampires…" Jay growled, as he began to semi-transform into his werewolf self. His fingernails elongated into claws, and he crouched low, ready to fight.

A voice called out to them, from a balcony off of one of the uppermost rooms in the castle. "Excellent… I see that they've played into our trap." Testament stared down at the group with a malicious smile. He leaned over, and whispered to the vampire trio, Savage, Callous, and Vicious, saying, "Bring her to me… and I want her _alive_. If you feel the need to _bite _her…" The pale Gear stared intently at Vicious, before continuing, "then I shall deal with you…."

"Hey, you albino sack of horse shit!" Sol shouted up at the man. "You know I'm gonna stomp in that pretty, little face of yours, right! I promised I would the next time I saw you!"

Finally resting his eyes upon Sol, Testament spat, "The Immoral Flame… Your worthless corpse is still wandering this Earth?" He flung some of his raven black hair behind his ear, keeping it out of his face, so his red eyes could stare at the other man more fully.

"Corpse? Bitch, have you looked in a mirror?!"

Snapping his fingers, the Swiss Gear simply said, "Get them."

X—X—X—X—X

"These pitiful creatures are not worthy to even be called vampires… If they are, then they are simply shadows of their former selves…" Slayer simply cracked his knuckles, baring his fangs to the other creatures of the night, saying, "And I shall show you what a _true _Night Walker can do…" He immediately lashed out with his hand, tearing the head off of one of the miserable creatures. "I have come to purify… I have come to preserve my honor, and I have come to eradicate these false vampires."

"Cat's outta the bag, huh?" Sol sent a massive wave of molten lava crashing into some of the amassed vampires. "I don't give a damn about your honor… But I guess I wouldn't mind wasting a few of these wimps."

The three vampire amigos descended from the balcony, while Testament retreated into the castle once again, all three targeting Dizzy.

Charging like a furious stallion, Jay tore his path through foe after foe, until he reached his goal: Savage. Lashing out with his claws, he tore flesh from the black-clad vampire's stomach. However, before he could strike again, multiple vampires bore him to the ground, each attempting to bite him or claw him.

X—X—X—X—X

Dizzy, who had been backed up against a wall, defending herself, looked on as the others of the group fought valiantly, dispatching creature after creature, as though it were nothing. Dizzy, however, just couldn't bring herself to actually _kill _something, no matter how much it tried to kill _her_.

A cold, clawed hand covered her mouth, and quickly took hold of her. She could feel herself being taken up flights of stairs, and finally dumped onto the stone floor roughly.

"She is here, just as you have asked, Master. I shall leave you two to your devices." Savage immediately turned on his heel, and exited the stone room, to return to the battle in the courtyard.

"My Queen… I have use for your powers… Only _you _can revive the Fallen One… Only the one with the healing powers of the Gears can do it." Testament grabbed hold of Dizzy's wrist, though she tried to escape.

"H-Have you gone crazy? I'm _not _your Queen! Leave me alone! You're creepy! Sol! Where are you? I need you!" Dizzy tried her hardest to get Testament off of her. The sheer state of panic inside of her mind made her forget to even fight back, using Necro and Undine. She was dragged into a bare, but brightly lit room, with a pentagram inscribed upon the floor. As soon as she stepped into the magic symbol, her powers began to flare, and fluctuate wildly.

With a malicious grin, Testament said, "Good… Good, my Queen… Soon _she_ will be back…"

X—X—X—X—X

Slayer continued his massacring, tearing creatures, limb from limb, darting all around. Though everything around him was soaked in blood, Slayer himself was in pristine condition, and his clothes were still in perfect shape.

Hearing a piercing, infuriated roar, Slayer turned to see Jay Derakh chase Savage into a room within the castle. As he turned back around, he faced the silent vampire known as Callous. "I have been looking for you, Isaac."

The other man slowly nodded, "I understand… Shall we do what you came here for? Let's not waste time on idle chit-chat."

"As you wish, Isaac… You know that I must punish you, for using my blood to transform yourself, and others, into these… abominations, do you not?" Slayer took a lazy drag off of his pipe, and cracked his knuckles.

"I understand… and I am prepared." Callous, now known as Isaac, put up his fists, and prepared to fight.

Slayer blew smoke from his nostrils, and raised one hand, snapping his fingers. He instantly teleported behind Isaac, and delivered a punishing strike to the back of his head. "You should not have done it. You _do _know this, correct?"

Picking himself up from the ground, Isaac lowered his head, saying, "I _had _to…" The massive, black-garbed vampire turned around, and whipped out his leg, aiming a vicious attack towards Slayer's chin. Though the sharply dressed man easily dodged the attack, Isaac continued, "Better to live as a servant, than die as a free man… Besides, the money offered was astounding!"

"Isaac is not a fitting name for someone such as you…" Slayer darted forward, ducking under another kick. Planting his feet solidly on the ground, he crouched, then catapulted himself into the significantly larger vampire, wrapping a hand around his chin. "It would have been more fitting for you to have been name Judas…"

Burying his teeth into the exposed throat of the other man, Slayer simply tore it out, instead of draining his blood. "The blood of such a coward is not worthy for me to drink… To think that such a man was once considered a close friend… And to think that such a man was once a member of the Assassin's Guild…"

Isaac shook violently as blood poured out of his throat faster and faster. Sputtering, he struggled to have his voice heard, "S…ry… Ti…l…"

Blowing out a ring of smoke, Slayer simply walked away, saying, "Ponder that in the afterlife."

X—X—X—X—X

Jay furiously tackled the vampire known as Savage to the ground, clawing away at him. The full moon, set high in the sky, was having effects upon the werewolf. Furry tufts of hair began to burst forward from his skin, and he became even more wolfish in appearance. Soon enough, the metamorphosis from human to werewolf was completed.

Savage struck the raging werewolf in the stomach, hoping to slow him down a bit, but even after a blow that would crush a human being, Jay still stood his ground.

Jay simply snarled and took hold of the arm that had attacked him, and simply snapped it, bending the elbow inward. While the vampire screeched in rage, Jay continued, by snapping the other arm, and dislocating both shoulders with brutal punches to the shoulders' sockets.

Though rendered completely useless, Savage still continued to attempt to defend himself. Leaning forward, he attempted to sink his fangs into Jay, and tear out his throat.

Said attack was quickly, and severely countered by an elbow to the face, which knocked out multiple teeth, including one fang. With a bloodcurdling howl, Jay picked up his foe, and slammed him against the stone wall, all the while hacking and slashing with his claws.

Elise, bound and gagged, lie helpless in the corner, watching as Jay systematically dissected the cruel vampire who had captured her.

Over and over, he continued his onslaught, until his foe was simply a pulp of bloodied flesh. Sheer rage had overpowered the vampire, and it was that same rage that scared Elise… The fury had changed Jay from the gentle man that she knew, into a lunatic monster.

Slumping to his knees, Jay let out one final howl.

X—X—X—X—X

Sighing, Jam shook her head, as she pounded her foot into Vicious. The blatantly insane vampire had little to no skill in a fight whatsoever. It was really quite disappointing. The Chinese chef glanced around, noting that mainly everybody had run off, or been killed.

Two strong arms grabbed her around the waist, and she saw a flash of blond hair over her shoulder. "I'm glad to see that you're alright." He kissed her cheek, and softly said, "And just in case I haven't said it, I love you."

"It's the fifth time today… And I love you too, Ky, my darling."

Sol dashed up to the pair, in a panic, puffing frenetically at his cigarette. It was unlike him to be frantic, even in the bleakest of situations, yet this far surpassed what he had ever felt before. "Ky, have you seen Dizzy around here?!"

"So, I'm Ky now?"

"_Tell me!_" Sol shouted, furiously clenching his hand into a fist. He placed a hand on his forehead, as the burning sensation grew even more intense with each moment. Something was wrong.

Deep within his mind, he heard Dizzy's voice calling out to him, "Sol! Please… Please save me… I'm so scared… I don't know what to do… I don't… I-"

With long strides, Sol quickly approached the castle wall, and using every muscle fiber in his body, he catapulted himself up to the balcony that Testament had formerly stood in.

Sol had even left his cigarette behind, smoldering in the ground.

X—X—X—X—X

Testament looked on in disapproval, from his large throne, as Sol stared up at him. "The Immoral Flame… Why are you here? I was not prepared for such a guest. I assumed that the vampire fodder would have taken you down."

"I could hear her…" Sol growled, obviously ready to fight. "She was callin' for me. She's frightened… If I gotta smash you up to get to her, I don't give a damn. Because right now, Diz's number one on my priority list."

The Gear stood up from his seat, and summoned his scythe from a portal, while his crow watched from its perch on his shoulder. "And why, may I ask, would my illustrious Queen ask for such a lowlife, like you? The likes of you are not _fit _for royalty…" The pale man brandished his scythe, waving it towards Sol.

Body shaking with rage, Sol clutched his sword tightly, his knuckles going white. "Don't even _think_ about Diz, you scrawny, pale-ass, zombie-lookin' freak!" Smirking insolently, the American mercenary said, "Besides… Dizzy don't like guys who wear dresses."

"Dizzy is _mine_. She is _my _Queen, and I will _not _allow someone such as _you _to even _presume_ that she needs your company." Testament leapt off of the stone pedestal, and brought his scythe down in an overhead slash, in an attempt to split Sol into two.

"Fuck you!" Sol raised his own blade over head, and slammed it down to the ground, launching a fountain of magma upwards towards the other Gear.

The amorphous scythe immediately transfigured itself into a large shield, blocking away most of the fire. Once Testament had landed on the ground, Sol had already moved.

Turning at the hips, and using the power of the core of his body, Sol launched a savage turning slash, angled downward at the Swiss Gear's spine, aiming to decapitate him.

Had Testament's crow not squawked, the fight would've been over, with Sol as the decisive winner. But, the strident cry had allowed Testament enough time to turn, and parry the Fireseal with his scythe.

Again, Sol turned, utilizing his core's strength, and delivered a punishing hook to Testament's ribs, causing his foe to cough and sputter, falling to the ground. Again, the Immoral Flame raised his sword over head, ready to deliver the final strike.

Yet, once more, that damn crow interfered, this time more aggressively. It clawed at Sol's face, giving its master the opportunity he needed to recover and stand back up.

"Fucking _bird!_" Sol snarled, as he snatched it out of the sky. He clamped down even more, intent upon breaking every bone in its body, but the bird began to mutate, and change.

Instead of a bird, Sol found himself holding a blue-skinned woman by the throat. The phantasmal woman lashed out with a scythe of her own, biting into Sol's shoulder.

With one final, horrifying roar, Sol crushed her windpipe, with a sickening crack. He tossed the banshee's body aside, lighting it on fire with his blazing grip. He tore the black scythe from his shoulder, and furiously cast it towards Testament, and slid across the floor, using flames as a catalyst, preparing for an assault upon the other Gear.

The Swiss Gear easily dodged the flying sickle, but barely evaded the scorching flames launched at him from Sol. Though he was burnt, he still managed to muster up the energy to slash at Sol.

Both men hopped backwards, and allowed for some space between them. Breathing heavily, Testament said, "She… is mine… My goals will be achieved, and you… will be dead… Dizzy will not care… She will be my Queen…"

"Dizzy will be whatever the hell she wants, you insane bastard!" The fiery man jumped clear over a scythe strike, and delivered a punishing kick to Testament's forehead, sending him sprawling against the stone walls.

Massive coils of flames enveloped Sol's arms, as he continued to pound away at the other Gear, causing explosions and fire to ravage his body. Sol pulled his blade back, and quickly, yet forcefully impaled Testament upon it, tearing through flesh and stone as if it were air.

Sputtering and coughing up blood, Testament growled, "She is… mine… _She_ will make her bring me back…"

"I won't give Dizzy up… Not for you, not for anyone." Ripping Fireseal free, Sol walked away from the bleeding and mortally wounded Testament, heading towards the gargantuan wooden doors that he knew Dizzy to be behind.

X—X—X—X—X

Jay slowly reverted back to his human self, and slumped down against the wall, soaked in blood, both his own, and that of Savage's. "Elise…" he whispered, glancing over at his friend, who stared at him with wide eyes. "Am… Am I just a beast? Don't you see me as the _old _me any more?" Sighing, he rested his head against the stone walls, and closed his eyes, "No… It's useless… Not even _you_ could."

He felt a body press up against him, and heard the sounds of crying. Tears dripped down onto his bare chest as well. "How could you… How could you even think that? You're still the Jay I always knew… the Jay I always loved. I'm just… I was just so scared… There are so many things that I don't understand…"

Jay placed an arm around the girl, and sighed, "You're tellin' me? I'm so sick of all of this… Hell, when we get home, I'm going to find a _real _job…"

"I'm going to take a nice, long, relaxing bath, and then sleep for the whole day."

"… You always have to one up me, don't you?"

"Basically."

X—X—X—X—X

Sol lodged his sword into the thick, wooden door, and watched as it exploded off of its hinges. He could feel Dizzy's presence behind the door. It was distinct, yet, he could also feel another presence… although, he couldn't quite make it out.

As the dust settled, Sol stepped through the portal, into a brightly lit room, and immediately spotted the prostrate form of Dizzy, against the far wall.

The gruff mercenary, dropped into a fighting stance, as he glared up at the obstacle in his path, the one thing keeping him from Dizzy. "You…" Sol could see his own face staring back at him, reflected in polished metallic armor.

"I see you have not forgotten me… Frederick."

* * *

**Author's Notes**: As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter enough to leave me a review. Go ahead, tell me what you did and didn't like. It's all fair game. I had to put in some intermissions between the mind-numbing amounts of violence… Too much violence would make the plot go away, and there'd be a lot of loose ends. But don't worry… Any questions will be answered next chapter! Yep, there's gonna be exactly one more chapter, folks. You know… it's amazing how you can get to the end of a story, then think your writing is the worst piece of crap out there. That's how I felt about this chapter. I thought it SUCKED. 

**Bonus**: I mentioned the word "Metamorphosis" in this story. This is actually a song by a famous magician as well. What magician is it? (Hint: He does all the music for his show.)

**Last Bonus**: The last bonus was "Klayton." That's what the Front man of Celldweller goes by.


	18. Becoming The Dragon

**Foreword**: This is the final chapter… Enjoy.

**A Special Thanks To**: You. If you're reading this, I want to thank you. Another special thanks goes out to Taromaru, as always. Thank him too, because he's the reason this story exists.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Guilty Gear, or any characters affiliated with it. I do, however, own any original characters, and the plot of the story.

* * *

A deliberate, metallic clink rang out in the room. "I have expected you to be here… But now, I will not underestimate your powers, Frederick."

Sol raised his blade, prepared to fight. "Justice… How are you still…? I _know _I incinerated your robot ass, last time we fought."

"The insane one… Testament, I believe. He gathered what was left of me, and used the power of my beloved daughter to revive me… It seems as though my final orders _were_ followed." The imposing Gear crossed her arms across her chest, and felt her whole body being energized, as though waking up from a long period of hibernation.

Sol simply lit up a cigarette, and silently smoked, one eye on Justice, and the other attentively monitoring Dizzy.

Justice flexed her fingers, and moved her arms, becoming reacquainted with her body. "It seems that I do not have your full attention… Perhaps I should give you an adequate reason."

"Nobody'd give _you _their full attention. Robo-bitch like you ain't very interesting." Sol blew out a puff of smoke towards Justice, and said, "Ain't got nothin' to keep _my _attention, that's for damn sure."

Justice, believing that Sol was only interested in fighting, and not factoring in the _miniscule _fact that he was a man, said, "Then why focus on my daughter? Am I not more of a challenge than she?"

"If I didn't already know you weren't, I'd think you were a _man_… You got a damn voice like one. You definitely don't _look _like one… And what the hell is that piece of metal hangin' down between your legs? _That _definitely don't make you seem womanly." Sol smirked and blew out another cloud of smoke from his cigarette.

Letting out a screech, Justice launched herself towards Sol, with the aid of the jet boosters inlaid along her shoulder blades. "I was referring to _this_!" She lashed out with her clawed fingers, using them like knives, attempting to spike Sol in the throat.

The man dodged the strike, and exhaled, sending a cloud of smoke towards Justice, momentarily confusing her senses. Sol wound up, and planted his booted foot straight into Justice's spine, sending her sprawling to the floor. With an upward stroke of his sword, the American mercenary sent a blade of fire sliding across the stone floor towards the downed Gear. As the flames shot forward, Sol jumped into the air, and brought his sword down hard, aiming to bury it inside of the metallic head of his adversary.

Rolling onto her back, Justice quickly activated her jet boosters, which launched her up into Sol's body, midair. Raking her claws across the elder Gear's back, she spun around in the air, and used her own foot to kick Sol down to the ground, into his own blast of fire.

"Damn it…" Sol growled, as he hopped up from the ground. Flames dripped down off of the blocky blade of Fireseal, as Sol's power began to manifest. Raising the sword high over his head, he prepared to bring it down.

Justice simply strode between Sol and Dizzy. Her maliciously metallic voice rang out in the now warm room, "You can not do that, Immoral Flame… You would also injure my dear daughter…"

"Fuckin' robot bitch…" Sol lowered his blade, although it was still blazing hot, and emanating waves of heat. Blistering fury seethed within his ochre eyes, as Sol stared at his foe. He charged forward and issued a fake punch towards Justice's face, but instead swept her legs out from under her, and finally brought the sword down across her chest with a hard slash, releasing the combustible energy and flames within it.

Through the explosion, Justice wrapped her long, robotic tail around Sol tossing him off of her, and into the wall. "Surely this is not the extent of your power, Immoral Flame… Have you grown frail and impotent while I was gone?"

Sol's head cracked against the stones of the wall, and sat there, stunned for a moment. As he stood up, he reached a hand up to his forehead, and felt along his headband, running his fingers across the deep cracks on the left side. "Son of a…"

X—X—X—X—X

Ky walked among the dead bodies, eyes hardened. Silently, he said a prayer for the fallen, and made the sign of the cross over himself. 'I have been growing lax in my swordsmanship… There were countless times in which I could have been slain… Perhaps I should reevaluate myself, and return to the basics, then rebuild my foundation… As it says in the Bible, "Be prepared, and keep watch, for thou know not when The Master returns."'

Jam scrunched her nose up, and whined, "Ew… These bodies are starting to smell bad!" The woman stepped away from the body in front of her, only to feel her heel strike another one. Sighing, Jam looked around, and said, "I guess there's no way to really escape it though…"

Slayer, standing perfectly still in the center of the courtyard, stared down in to the palm of his hand, attentively watching his pocket watch.

Ky's golden hair swayed in the dim air, as he turned his head skyward. "My Lord… Please give me strength…"

As if in answer to his prayer, a single shaft of light pierced through the blackness, and settled right over the crusader's heart.

Closing his eyes, with a faint smile, Ky felt tiny surges of gentle electricity pass between himself and his sword, as more and more light pierced its veil of darkness, and enveloped him.

Slayer flicked the watch close, and carefully put it back into his pocket. "Hm… Dead on time."

Immediately, the bodies of the fallen vampires caught fire, and simply disintegrated, leaving nothing but dust behind.

X—X—X—X—X

Sol flew backwards, reeling from a stiff swipe from Justice's tail. Shifting his momentum midair, to turn him with a quick back flip, he landed in a crouching position.

The robotic Gear folded her arms, and shook her head, noticing that he was still focusing on her daughter, instead of on their fight. "I still do not have your full attention… You will not need to worry yourself about Dizzy… I shall remove the distraction, so that we can continue uninhibited." Justice's shoulder cannons unfolded, and the sound of turbines firing up rang out in the room. Overly energized electrons, now visible to the human eyes, also gathered to the cannons, as they prepared to fire. The looming, robotic giant turned to Dizzy, crimson hair fluttering in the slight breeze within the room.

The unconscious form of Dizzy lie perfectly still, leaned against the cool stone walls, completely unaware of what was happening. She would die in her sleep.

Feeling as though he had been stabbed in the stomach, Sol realized what would happen to Dizzy. Sol watched on in horror, as the beams began to fire, time slowing down to a crawl.

The harsh blue-white light overcame everything in the direction that Justice fired the beam in, resulting in the total annihilation of even the very bricks that held most of the wall together. Justice simply folded her arms, while her cannons retracted back into her shoulders. "So that is how it is, Frederick…"

X—X—X—X—X

Amidst the confusion of the bodies becoming dust, Ky glanced around, realizing that both Sol and Dizzy were missing. All in all, it wouldn't surprise him, except that Sol had also taken off quite suddenly after asking where Dizzy had gone to. Gripping Thunderseal tightly, Ky sprinted towards the castle, fully intent upon finding them.

An acute sense of danger permeated his mind. It was something that Ky hadn't felt for many years. It was the same thing he felt during the Crusades… most specifically, when he met Justice in combat. Narrowing his eyes in determination, Ky pushed his body to the limits, intent upon entering the looming, stone edifice.

As he stood at the portal leading into the castle, Ky heard a loud noise blast out into the air, and the sound of stones crashing to the ground. Instantly turning around, General Kiske caught sight of two dazzling pillars of light, which continued for miles.

"This does not look good for us…"

X—X—X—X—X

Dizzy's motionless form still lay on the ground, untouched by the positron lasers intended to annihilate her. Resting gently within her hand, sat a slick piece of cracked, red metal, inscribed with the simple words "Rock You."

A crimson aura swirled around Sol, with wisps of flames dancing across his body. He seemed even bigger than before, muscle-wise, and his hair flowed freely behind him. Sol's normally yellow-orange eyes had simply darkened, and become dark, like black holes resting inside of his head. The burning crest inscribed upon his forehead was finally unleashed, glowing as though it was lava. Sleek, black wings drooping down off of Sol's back slightly quivered as he shook with rage. His clawed fingers gripped Fireseal tighter, and he snarled, "Wrong fuckin' move, techno-bitch…" Baring his fangs, Sol launched himself at Justice, bearing her to the ground.

Delivering a punishing blow to the gut, Sol followed up with a stiff elbow to the side of the head. As Justice's tail struck, like a scorpion's, the original Gear took hold of the appendage, and used it to toss the tall robotic Gear out through the hole she tore in the castle with her laser cannons.

Spreading out his wings, Sol took flight, and followed, hot in pursuit. Instead of swooping down on the helpless Gear, he sped skyward, blazing sword in hand. Once he could touch the clouds, Sol immediately folded his wings up behind him, and dropped earthward, in a freefall.

Regaining her senses as Sol was almost upon her, Justice rolled over, so she could face her opponent head on. With quick movements of her hands, Justice parried the vicious sword strike aimed for her head, although she could not stop the falling body of Sol.

Compensating for the err in his sword's path, Sol flipped over midair, and surrounded himself with an armor of scorching flames, and shot down even harder that the blade would have hit. On impact, a massive explosion rocked the countryside behind the castle, leaving all in the vicinity wondering what had happened.

Sol spread his wings once again, and flew back a few yards from his foe, readying another savage onslaught. His opponent had tried to take away the only joy left for Sol. She had tried to eliminate her own daughter, just to see Sol suffer, and it had set him over the edge.

Justice's eyes flared red, and shot a beam of pure red energy towards Sol, in an attempt to catch him off guard. Obviously, she hadn't been expecting Sol to be quite as powerful as he truly was. To follow up her assault, she flipped backwards, getting to her feet, and used her hand like a sword, launching a beam of crackling energy at Sol. Turbines in full gear, the robotic Gear deployed her shoulder cannons, and fired the largest pillar of pure energy that she could muster up.

Lighting up a cigarette on the fly, Sol quickly puffed at the condensed stick of pure joy. Did I say _only _joy? I meant "only joy, _excluding _cigarettes". Sol crouched low, and slammed a fist on the ground, before being enveloped by blistering flames. The scorching fire dissipated the first two shots of energy into nothingness. Sol finished his cigarette, and spat out the butt onto the ground. Sprinting headlong into the massive laser, Sol managed to power his way through.

"H-How?! Not even _you _are _that_ powerful, Immoral Flame!" Justice stammered, amazed that Sol could simply go _through _her strongest attack.

"I'll make _sure _you don't come _back!_" Sol slashed furiously, in a frenzied state, hewing great gashes into the robotic body of Justice. Placing both hands together, Sol quickly ripped the trigger on Fireseal, unleashing a massive torrent of flames. The mercenary delivered a few more blows, and then a savage uppercut, which sent Justice careening into the air.

"And _this_ one's for _Dizzy!_" Sol bellowed, as he crouched down low to the ground, burying his sword into the dirt. With one fluid, and extremely powerful motion, he sent a blazing inferno upwards, into the air, towards Justice, with his knee as a vanguard. Connecting solidly with Justice's spine, a sickening crack rang out, before the chaotic eruption of lava and fire overcame everything, completely incinerating Justice.

As Sol came back down to the ground, he muttered, "Bitch…"

X—X—X—X—X

Ky stared at Sol in amazement, as the larger man cradled Dizzy in his arms. "You… You're a…"

"Gear? Deal with it," Sol snarled, slightly rocking the blue haired half-Gear in his arms.

Ky gaped at the glowing symbol inscribed in his forehead, and mumbled, "I've always had my suspicions, but I never thought…"

Opening her eyes, Dizzy immediately threw her arms around Sol, doing her best to squeeze him to death. Sobbing, the girl chanted Sol's name like a mantra. "I-I… I was so scared…"

"I'm here now, right? Ain't gotta be so scared, Diz… I said I'd protect you, and I did." Sol smiled down at the girl's head, which almost caused Ky to choke. He hadn't ever seen Sol smile genuinely once.

Jam yanked Ky away from the couple, and gently said, "Let's give them some privacy, yeah?"

Nodding curly, the happily married couple strode away from the courtyard, taking up a station at the fallen front gates, with both Jay and Elise.

"Sol, I… I've wanted to say some things to you… but… I'm too shy… So I'll say them, while I know I can." Dizzy pulled back a little and folded her hands, staring at the ground. "I um… I think that… I'm in love with you…"

Smiling fiendishly, Sol said, "Really now?"

Blushing furiously, Dizzy stared even harder at the ground, wishing she hadn't said such a thing.

"Well, if I didn't feel the same, don't you think I'd treat you like I treat that Boy Scout?"

Dizzy felt warmth overtake her, as his response slowly set in. 'He… does.'

X—X—X—X—X

Slayer stared into the fireplace, quietly sipping his wine. Of course, he had made his exit after he had done what he needed to do, in his typical fashion. "They're all such intriguing creatures, really… Gears and Humans…"

He simply continued sipping his wine, pondering the meaning of life, while his wife snuggled closely next to him.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Well… That's it, folks. Glad you stayed on for the whole ride, and I hope you liked it a hell of a lot more than I did. Well… I'll see you all some other day, I guess. I do plan on writing another Guilty Gear story. I'm thinking it'll be pretty original, maybe even innovative… at least I hope. Keep your eyes peeled, will you? There could be an epilogue, if I get time. If I'm satisfied with the ending, there won't be one, but chances are pretty high that there will be. Send me a review, and tell me how my writing was. Good? Mediocre? Or most likely, crappy?

**Bonus**: Completely out of left field… This had nothing in the story at all… What band COVERED, not wrote, COVERED "Blue Monday"? Not sure if I asked this question before, but oh well… Review to find out the answer.

**Last Bonus**: The magician who I was talking about is named Criss Angel. He's a badass, and he makes some great music… At least I like it.


	19. Epilogue: Living for

**Foreword**: This is the Epilogue.

**A Special Thanks To**: The one and only Taromaru.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Guilty Gear, or any characters affiliated with it. I do, however, own any original characters, and the plot of the story.

* * *

"It says here that they shot you with… a hundred and thirty one elephant tranquilizers…" Ky closed the manila case folder, and slammed it on the desk in front of the steel bars of the jail cell. "Sol, how the hell did you manage _that _one?!"

Tapping the spent ash off of the end of his cigarette, he hocked a mixture of spit and mucus onto the ground, with a smirk. "Ain't you French? I thought you wussies were all into manners and all that crap."

"Yes, but… What does _that _have to do with anything?! These French jokes are starting to irritate me, Sol." Ky impatiently stomped a foot, and folded his arms, glaring at the older man through his liquid sapphire eyes.

Dropping his spent cigarette to the ground, Sol stomped it out with his boot, and rummaged through his vest's pocket to find his pack. "When your cops are actin' like the pigs they are, I get a little bit pissed. 'Specially when they look up from their box of doughnuts to start makin' asses outta themselves."

Covering his face with his hands, Ky let out a sigh of frustration, "Ugh, Lord, have mercy… What did you do this time, Sol?!

"Taught'em some manners."

"Because everyone knows _you_ have manners," Ky riposted, acid blatantly dripping from his acerbic comments.

Grimacing, the brawny, tan man tossed the empty pack of cigarettes onto the cement floor of his jail cell, and stepped on it, grinding it under his foot. "There's a difference between havin' some manners and just bein' a flat out bitch… Like you French fags."

"Jay, get his stuff…" Ky called down the hallway to his new partner. The Holy Knight tapped a code into a keypad, and watched the jail cell pop open. "Sol's leaving…"

Jay Derakh sauntered down the hallway, with a sword tucked under his arm, and a wallet in hand. "Here you go, Boss. Oh, uh… Do you think I could take off early today? Y'know… I got some big plans, and I sorta-"

"I understand." Ky gently smiled and took Sol's belongings. "Just make sure to tell me when the wedding is."

"Heh… Elise's gotta say yes first… but alright."

"God, will you sappy bastards knock it off?! Gimme my crap, so I can get out of here," Sol growled, leaving his cage like a proud lion, with his brown mane of hair flowing behind him.

Stepping spryly, Jay returned down the hallway from whence he came, apparently in a good mood. Not even Sol's verbal assault could get him down… After all… Not much could in the first place.

Sol simply swiped his things from the blonde officer, and followed Jay down the hallway, still somewhat stiff from all of the tranquilizers he had been pumped with. Without a word, he kept walking, his thick boots hammering against the tiled hall like pistons.

"She came to me in tears, Sol… Dizzy was really upset about what happened, Sol… She was afraid you'd be in here for a while…"

He reached the doorway, and stopped, half looking back at the other man. He was unsure of his relationship with the genial smile and soft golden hair. They were enemies. They were comrades. They were rivals. They were friends. And Sol had enough sense to at least listen, though he had no obligation to respond. Frederick was not stupid… after all, he _was_ a doctor in an earlier life… He knew how to listen carefully.

"She's attached to you, Sol… Just like you're attached to her… You can't just live for yourself anymore."

Sol simply kept walking through the doorway. He would soon find himself entangled in the arms of a younger woman, with an ocean of hair spilling down her back, wings and tail hidden under them… He was living for Dizzy.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: There you have it… I sorta shirked on my duties to put this out. I got really distracted by sports and all that jazz… Sorry. Ummm….. I'm not sure when you can expect my next Guilty Gear story, as I've got a few other things to wrap up, you know? I've got a few stories to finish, and even some new ones lined up… Ugh, I'm going to be a busy child, haha. 


End file.
